MOSCOW — A significant escalation in conflict has left at least four individuals dead, including three in the Moscow region, following Ukraine’s largest nighttime drone assault on the Russian capital in over a year, as confirmed by local officials on Sunday.
A fourth fatality occurred in the Belgorod region, which borders northeastern Ukraine. By midday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Ukraine in the last 24 hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed retaliation after experiencing the largest two-day drone and missile strike on Kyiv since the war commenced more than four years ago. He released a video on X, capturing a drone in flight amid a plume of black smoke as firefighters battled to extinguish the flames.
In his address, President Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine’s response to Russia’s prolonged war and strikes against cities and communities is fully justified. He emphasized that despite Russia’s dense air defenses surrounding Moscow, Ukraine has successfully targeted locations more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) from its border. “We are telling the Russians clearly: Their country must stop the war,” he declared.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the drone strikes, accusing Kyiv of targeting civilians. “While the Eurovision song was playing, the Kiev regime, funded by the EU, carried out another large-scale terrorist attack,” stated spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, as quoted by TASS.
The Indian Embassy in Russia reported that an Indian national lost his life and three others sustained injuries in the drone attack in the Moscow region on Sunday. Embassy officials visited the injured at the hospital and are coordinating with local authorities to ensure they receive adequate support.
Targeting Deep Inside Russia
In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified its drone operations, targeting critical infrastructure deep within Russia, including oil refineries, depots, and pipelines. This strategy aims to weaken each nation’s infrastructure capabilities. TASS news agency reported that Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced the destruction of 81 drones aimed at Moscow since midnight, marking the most substantial attack on the capital in over a year.
According to Sobyanin, twelve individuals were injured, and several residences were damaged, particularly around the entrance to the Moscow refinery, which reportedly sustained no damage to its operational infrastructure. In Khimki, a woman lost her life due to a drone strike on a residential building, and in the village of Pogorelki, two men were also confirmed dead. Rescue operations continue in search of another individual trapped under rubble.
Various high-rise residential structures and other infrastructure facilities have reportedly sustained damage from the attack. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, the country’s largest, confirmed that drone debris fell within its premises without causing any significant damage.
