Ukraine has carried out its most extensive drone attack on Moscow since the beginning of the conflict in 2022, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing war. The assault, which targeted the Russian capital overnight, resulted in one injury and caused major disruptions to air travel, forcing the temporary closure of three of Moscow’s busiest airports.
The strike on Moscow coincided with Russia’s launch of an unprecedented wave of 145 Shahed and other strike drones against Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the scale of Russia’s drone attack, noting that Ukrainian air defences successfully intercepted 62 of the incoming drones. He also renewed calls for increased support from Ukraine’s Western allies to bolster the country’s defence against such persistent aerial threats.
Drone Attack on Moscow
According to Russian authorities, the Ukrainian drone assault on Moscow was the largest since the war began, with the Moscow region’s Governor Andrei Vorobyov describing the attack as “massive.” The assault injured a 52-year-old woman and ignited fires in two homes in the village of Stanovoye, located in the Moscow region.
Russian officials reported that Moscow’s air defences successfully intercepted 34 drones targeting the capital itself. The remaining 34 drones were reportedly downed in surrounding regions, including Bryansk, Orlov, Kaluga, Tula, and Kursk. The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that between 04:00 and 07:00 GMT, a total of 70 Ukrainian drones were destroyed by air defences across six regions.
While the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, regularly faces drone and missile attacks from Russia, strikes on Moscow are relatively rare. The recent escalation underscores the growing intensity of the conflict, with Ukraine increasingly targeting Russian infrastructure, including critical military and civilian facilities in the heart of Moscow.
Impact on Air Travel
The Ukrainian drone strikes forced the temporary closure of three major Moscow airports: Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo. For several hours, air traffic was significantly disrupted, with nearly 50 flights diverted to other locations. The temporary closure of the airports, coupled with widespread flight delays, underscored the vulnerability of Moscow’s infrastructure to drone threats, despite Russia’s considerable air defence capabilities.
Russia’s Retaliatory Drone Barrage on UkraineIn response to the Ukrainian drone attacks, Russia launched a record number of drones at Ukraine. President Zelenskyy confirmed that a total of 145 Russian Shahed drones were used in the assault, marking the largest single attack on Ukraine since the war’s beginning. Ukrainian air defences managed to intercept a significant portion of these drones, though some successfully reached their targets, causing damage and casualties.
Growing Tensions and International Implications
This latest series of drone attacks reflects the ongoing escalation between the two nations as the conflict continues to intensify. Ukraine’s drone capabilities have increasingly focused on hitting high-profile targets within Russia, including military sites and infrastructure in Moscow and its surrounding regions.
The timing of the attacks coincided with a new military agreement between Russia and North Korea. On Saturday night, both countries signed a landmark pact, which commits them to provide military support using “all means” in the event of an attack. This agreement marks the closest military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Cold War, with significant implications for the balance of power in the region.
Previous Drone Strikes on Moscow
The current attack on Moscow surpasses the previous largest drone strike, which occurred in September. In that instance, Russian authorities claimed to have destroyed at least 20 Ukrainian attack drones, though the strike resulted in casualties near Moscow, including at least one fatality. That attack also led to the closure of three airports for over six hours, causing significant disruption to air traffic.
As the conflict shows no signs of abating, the frequency and intensity of drone attacks are likely to continue to rise, further complicating the military situation on both sides. The ability of each nation to defend against and retaliate with drone strikes is becoming a central aspect of the war, with each new attack highlighting the increasingly sophisticated and pervasive use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in modern warfare.
The dramatic increase in both Russian and Ukrainian drone attacks signals a new phase in the war, one that may see further escalation as both sides test the limits of their military capabilities. With air defences being tested in real-time and infrastructure at risk, both Moscow and Kyiv will likely continue to ramp up their use of drones and other advanced weapons systems in the coming months. International support for Ukraine is expected to play a critical role in determining the outcome of this new chapter in the conflict.
