Ukraine executed its most extensive drone assault on Moscow since the onset of the full-scale conflict, deploying nearly 200 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to target areas surrounding the Russian capital.
Regional governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that at least 17 individuals sustained injuries within the Moscow region.
Russia’s Defence Ministry stated that it successfully intercepted and neutralized almost 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles across the nation within a 24-hour period.
A fatal incident occurred at an oil depot in Russia’s southern Rostov Oblast region, which was struck, resulting in one casualty.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized these strikes as “long-range sanctions,” a term Kyiv uses for extended-distance attacks on Russian territory.
Zelensky indicated that the operation served as a reprisal for a recent Russian attack on Kyiv that caused a significant religious landmark to catch fire.
Fires erupted at the Kapotnya Oil Refinery, reportedly the third such incident in a month and the second within a week. A nearby shopping center also ignited, purportedly due to falling drone debris, leading to the evacuation of several residential high-rise buildings.
Moscow’s four airports experienced temporary closures, leading to over 500 flight cancellations and delays.
Numerous videos circulated on social media, despite restrictions on publishing images of strike damage, depicting drones flying over Moscow and explosions in industrial zones.
These attacks underscore Ukraine’s strategy of “bringing the war home” to Russia by targeting locations far from the battlefield, including Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Drone strikes on Moscow, situated approximately 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, have become increasingly frequent as Ukraine’s long-range capabilities have expanded.
Concurrently, Russia conducted large-scale overnight attacks, with Ukraine reporting that more than 200 Russian drones and several ballistic missiles were launched against Ukrainian targets.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha utilized social media to inform Russians that these attacks were a direct consequence of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, urging them to question Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war’s conclusion.
