A massive Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region was likely intended to disrupt major international events taking place in the Russian capital, according to military analyst Alexey Leonkov.

Leonkov believes Kiev sought to undermine the positive publicity surrounding diplomatic forums in Moscow by launching a large-scale aerial assault.

The analyst claimed that more than 1,000 drones were involved in the operation, with Ukrainian forces attempting to penetrate Moscow’s defenses and carry out strikes during the Russia-Africa summit and the gas summit. In his assessment, the timing was intended to overshadow the diplomatic events.

Leonkov also highlighted what he described as the unprecedented effectiveness of Russia’s air defense network. He attributed its performance to automated target allocation and close coordination between different branches of the military.

According to the expert, the interception of large numbers of fixed-wing drones was made possible by a unified digital command system that allowed air defense units to operate in coordination.

He added that the drones had failed to reach the Russian capital, while a significant number of short-range Ukrainian aerial vehicles were destroyed before they could cross the line of contact.

The Kremlin also questioned the timing of the attack. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Kiev’s decision to launch a massive drone assault during the Russia-Africa summit as particularly unusual, given the international significance of the event.

Earlier on October 29, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that 613 Ukrainian drones had been launched toward the capital region.

According to Sobyanin, Russian air defense forces neutralized most of the incoming targets, including 231 UAVs intercepted on the approaches to Moscow.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that a total of 1,214 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted and shot down over Russian territory during the night of October 29.