Expanded Drone Attacks on Moscow as Ukraine Intensifies Strikes

In a significant escalation, more than 60 drones targeted Moscow overnight. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin described it as a ‘large-scale attack’ on the Russian capital. Air defenses destroyed 61 drones, but Sobyanin did not specify their origin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on X that a satellite communications center, used for reconnaissance and coordinating Russian military activities, was hit. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that air defenses shot down 419 drones over 18 regions, including Crimea.

In the Moscow region, a drone crash in Yegoryevsk resulted in a house fire, causing the death of a 6-month-old and injuring three people. This was reported by Andrey Vorobyov, the governor of the region. Additionally, drone debris damaged an administrative building in Dubna.

Drone attacks disrupted operations at Moscow’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports. Zelenskyy confirmed striking the Dubna satellite communications center, adding that Ukrainian military efforts would continue targeting similar facilities.

Less than two weeks earlier, Ukraine targeted a major oil refinery in the Moscow region. These strikes were described by Kyiv as retaliation for Russian attacks on a monastery complex in Ukraine.

Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s envoy, claimed over 300 civilian casualties from Ukrainian attacks within a week. Ukraine’s strategy focuses on long-range capabilities to pressure Moscow and disrupt its war efforts.

Amid these developments, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged fuel shortages. He rejected a Ukrainian proposal to mutually halt long-range strikes, vowing to continue Russia’s offensive.