Ukraine launched a massive overnight drone strike targeting more than a dozen Russian regions, including the Moscow area, in what Russian officials described as one of the largest aerial assaults on the capital region since the war began.
Scale of the Drone Attack
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine deployed approximately 556 drones over a nine-hour period ending early Sunday. Russian forces said the majority of the drones were intercepted and destroyed. At least another 30 drones were neutralized in the two hours following the initial report.
Casualties in Moscow Region
Local officials reported that at least three people were killed and around a dozen others injured in the Moscow region. Reuters later confirmed that the death toll had risen to four.
Zelenskyy’s Response
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the strikes were a response to Russia’s ongoing drone and missile attacks on cities across Ukraine. He called Kyiv’s operations “entirely justified” and emphasized that the strikes reached the Moscow region as a clear message to Russian authorities.
“This time, Ukrainian long-range sanctions reached the Moscow region, and we are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war,” Zelenskyy said on social media. He also noted that Ukrainian drone and missile manufacturers continue their work.
Context of Russian Attacks
Zelenskyy highlighted the intensity of recent Russian operations, saying that in the past week Russia launched more than 3,170 attack drones, over 1,300 guided aerial bombs, and 74 missiles targeting Ukraine.
The Ukrainian drone strikes followed a warning issued by Zelenskyy on Friday, in which he stated that Kyiv was identifying targets for future strikes. “Ukraine will not allow any of the aggressor’s strikes that take the lives of our people to go unpunished,” he said. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine’s responses are justified against Russia’s oil industry, military production, and individuals responsible for war crimes against Ukrainians.
