Moscow Rocked by Record-Scale Ukrainian Drone Assault Amid Key Peace Talks
Moscow and several Russian regions came under the largest Ukrainian drone attack of the war, with 337 drones hitting targets overnight, Russian officials said Monday. The assault, which resulted in at least one civilian death and multiple injuries, coincided with high-stakes diplomatic talks between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted most drones, but explosions ignited fires in residential buildings near Moscow. Kursk, bordering Ukraine, bore the brunt with 126 drones intercepted, while the Moscow region saw 91 downed drones. Other affected areas included Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, and deeper Russian territories such as Kaluga, Lipetsk, and Nizhny Novgorod.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed over 70 drones targeted the capital, triggering evacuations and disrupting air travel at major Moscow airports. Footage showed fireballs erupting as drones struck. Russian authorities reported significant damage to residential buildings and infrastructure, with a parking lot in Domodedovo igniting in flames.
The attack comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. officials engage in renewed diplomatic efforts to end the three-year conflict. Kyiv has not commented on the strikes, but the scale of the offensive signals Ukraine’s intensified response to recent Russian bombardments.
Meanwhile, Russia launched overnight missile strikes on Kyiv and Odesa, damaging an oil depot and a residential building. The full extent of the destruction on both sides remains unclear, but the latest escalation underscores the deepening ferocity of the war.
