More than 60 drones targeted Moscow overnight, as reported by the city’s mayor on Tuesday. This represents another major aerial attack on the Russian capital amidst Ukraine’s intensified campaign using long-range weapons. A satellite communications center was hit, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X. He noted that the center was involved in reconnaissance and coordination of Russian forces in Ukraine.
Mayor Sergey Sobyanin described the event as a “large-scale attack.” Air defenses destroyed 61 drones approaching Moscow. However, he did not specify the origin of these drones. Emergency services managed crash sites but no casualties were reported.
The attack on Moscow is part of a wider overnight wave of drone assaults across Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that air defenses shot down 419 Ukrainian drones over 18 regions, including the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed.
Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov mentioned on his Telegram channel that a drone crash resulted in the death of a 6-month-old and injuries to three people in Yegoryevsk, about 100 miles southeast of Moscow. The crash also ignited a private house. An administrative building in Dubna, approximately 69 miles north of Moscow, sustained damage from falling drone debris.
Scenes from social media footage obtained by Reuters show bystanders at the scene of the drone attack in Yegoryevsk, about 60 miles southeast of Moscow on Tuesday.
The attacks briefly disrupted operations at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, according to Rosaviatsiya, Russia’s federal aviation agency.
Zelenskyy stated on X that his military targeted the Dubna satellite communications center in the Moscow region. This facility, approximately 310 miles from the Ukrainian border, played roles in reconnaissance and coordination. Zelenskyy hinted at additional strikes, saying actions are being prepared against similar enemy facilities.
The latest Ukrainian attack followed less than two weeks after a major strike on an oil refinery in the Moscow region, marking it as Ukraine’s largest such aerial assault since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Kyiv labeled the strikes as retaliation for Russian attacks on a historic monastery complex in Ukraine’s capital earlier this month.
Smoke and fire rise from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, following a Russian missile strike on Kyiv earlier this month.
Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s envoy for what is termed “the crimes of the Kyiv regime,” remarked via Telegram that civilian casualties from Ukrainian attacks surpassed 300 people in a single week for the first time this year. This included the total number of killed and injured.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted locations deep within Russia, demonstrating its enhanced long-range capabilities. This approach aims to exert influence beyond the battlefield, pressuring Moscow to conclude the war. The campaign has heavily focused on disrupting Russia’s oil and energy infrastructure, thereby straining its war resources.
President Vladimir Putin has publicly admitted to fuel shortages, a first during this conflict. In an interview with state television, he mentioned Ukraine’s offer of halting long-range strikes mutually as a step towards peace. However, Putin stated Russia rejected this offer and will continue its battlefield offenses.