In brief
For the first time since Russia’s full‑scale invasion began, almost 200 drones loomed over Moscow, igniting fires at a refinery and a shopping centre and sending columns of smoke into the sky. The attack, which wounded 17 civilians, disrupted more than 500 flights at the city’s four airports and forced evacuations across several high‑rise blocks. Russian forces reportedly intercepted or destroyed about 1,000 drones and four cruise missiles in a single day, but a southern oil depot also fell victim to a strike. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky framed the assault as retaliation for Russia’s recent bombing of Kyiv, calling for diplomatic resolution while warning that “if Moscow burns, Ukraine will burn too.” The Kremlin has yet to comment on the scale of the attack, and Russia is preparing for a summit in Kazan amid escalating hostilities. #### Key takeaways - The largest Ukrainian drone offensive on Moscow since the war began. - 17 injuries and widespread disruption to air travel. - Continued escalation of “long‑range strikes” by Kyiv aimed at striking the heart of Russia. - Russian air defenses credited with intercepting 1,000 drones; Ukraine's own drones sometimes breach them. - Russian President Vladimir Putin remains silent on the event.
Moscow has suffered the most extensive Ukrainian assault since the full‑scale war began, as nearly 200 drones pelleted the city’s outskirts, setting fire to an oil refinery and a nearby shopping centre. The blasts sent thick columns of smoke up into the evening sky, and rescue crews evacuated several residential high‑rise blocks.
Local governor Andrei Vorobyov reported 17 people wounded in the region. Russian defence officials claimed that the air defence system intercepted or destroyed roughly 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles across the country within 24 hours, though an oil depot in the southern Rostov area was struck, killing one person.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as a "long‑range sanction"—a term Ukrainian officials use for their long‑distance attacks on Russian targets—and said it was in response to last week’s Russian bombing of Kyiv’s historic church.
He urged Moscow to seek diplomatic resolution, noting, "We don’t want this war and have never wanted it. If Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too."
The attacks disrupted aviation in the capital: all four air‑ports were temporarily shut, and more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed. Despite Russian restrictions on publishing images of the aftermath, multiple videos circulated on social media, showing drones flying over industrial areas and flames erupting in the outskirts of Moscow.
Since the invasion four years ago, Ukraine’s long‑range drone campaign has intensified, with Kyiv developing capabilities that can reach the capital from over 300 km away. The city’s air‑defence grid has expanded, but the sheer number of drones and the sophistication of new models have occasionally slipped past it. Russian forces also launched more than 200 drones and multiple ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, as Kyiv reported a retaliatory strike on its southern oil depot.
With Russian President Vladimir Putin hosting a summit in Kazan amid these events, no statement has been issued regarding the attack, underscoring the strained communication lines between the two powers during this critical phase of the conflict.
