Ukrainian forces launched their largest overnight drone attack against the Russian capital in more than 1 year. Local officials confirmed on Sunday that the massive aerial assault killed at least 4 people, including 3 individuals living in the Moscow region. A 4th person died in the Belgorod region, which sits right on the northeastern border of Ukraine.
The sheer scale of the attack surprised Russian authorities. The Russian defense ministry reported that its forces shot down more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over the country during a single 24-hour period. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin told reporters that city air defenses destroyed exactly 81 drones flying directly toward the capital city since midnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised this exact type of retaliation on Friday. He issued his threat right after Russia blasted Kyiv with its heaviest drone and missile attack in over 2 days. As the brutal war drags past the 4-year mark, both nations continue to trade heavy blows and target key infrastructure.
Zelenskiy confirmed the successful strikes by posting a video on the social media platform X. The video showed a drone flying through the air, followed by thick columns of black smoke and fire crews spraying water on burning buildings. He told the public that Ukraine possesses every right to attack Russian targets because Moscow continues to prolong the war and destroy Ukrainian communities.
The Ukrainian president highlighted the deep reach of his military. He bragged that Ukrainian forces hit targets sitting more than 500 kilometers past the border. He noted that even the dense and expensive Russian air defense systems surrounding Moscow failed to stop the swarm. Later in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy claimed that Ukraine now controls the pace of the war. He stated that Ukrainian forces are currently conducting more active combat operations than Russia, calling it a very substantial result.
The Ukrainian military used the messaging app Telegram to share specific details about their targets. Generals claimed one drone strike sparked a massive fire at a factory outside Moscow. They said this specific plant builds high-precision weapons for the Russian army. The military also announced they successfully destroyed a Russian command center that oversees drone flights in the occupied Donetsk region.
Russian officials responded to the strikes with intense anger. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the Ukrainian government of purposely aiming at innocent civilians. She told the TASS news agency that Kyiv used money from the European Union to carry out a mass terrorist attack while people watched the Eurovision song contest. Both nations routinely deny pointing their weapons at regular citizens.
The falling drones and explosive debris caused real destruction across the Moscow region. Mayor Sobyanin reported that 12 people suffered injuries, mostly near the main entrance to a large Moscow oil refinery. He noted that the drones damaged 3 houses, but the actual refining technology remained completely safe.
Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov shared more tragic details about the civilian death toll. He confirmed a falling drone killed 1 woman when it smashed into her home in Khimki, a town located just north of the capital. Rescue crews spent Sunday digging through the debris to find another missing person. In a separate incident, drones killed 2 men in the small village of Pogorelki. Vorobyov added that the strikes damaged several high-rise apartment buildings and local infrastructure facilities.
The attack even reached the largest airport in the country. Managers at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport found drone debris scattered across their property. However, they reported exactly 0 damage to their airplanes or runways. Over the past few weeks, Ukraine shifted its strategy to launch more drones deep inside Russia. Ukrainian commanders want to destroy oil refineries, fuel depots, and pipelines to cut off the money supply that funds the Russian military.
