Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Assault on Moscow
On Tuesday, Ukraine executed its most significant drone strike yet against Moscow. The offensive resulted in one casualty, numerous damaged homes, and disrupted flights across Moscow’s airports. Over 50 flights had to be diverted.
Russia, the planet’s foremost nuclear power, announced the destruction of at least 20 Ukrainian drones as they inundated the Moscow vicinity, a region home to over 21 million people. Additionally, 124 drones were neutralized over eight other regions.
Near Moscow, a person lost their life, as confirmed by Russian officials. For over six hours, three of Moscow’s four airports were shut down, affecting nearly 50 flights.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov highlighted the incident as a stark reminder of Ukraine’s political leadership, whom he labeled perpetual adversaries of Russia. “Nighttime assaults on residential areas cannot be justified as military actions,” Peskov stressed. “The Kyiv regime continues to reveal its hostile stance, underscoring our need to sustain our special military operation for protection,” he reiterated, alluding to Russia’s designation of its conflict with Ukraine.
Ukraine, which faced an invasion by tens of thousands of Russian troops in February 2022, claimed it had been attacked overnight by 46 drones, with 38 successfully intercepted.
The drone strikes caused extensive damage to high-rise apartments in Moscow’s Ramenskoye district. Fires erupted, and residents described waking up to explosive sounds. A 46-year-old woman perished, and three others were injured, as per Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov.
“I saw a fireball through my window,” recounted district resident Alexander Li to Reuters. “The shockwave shattered my window.” Another local, Georgy, kept his last name private but shared, “I saw the drone hit the building, then took my family and ran.”
The Ramenskoye district, approximately 31 miles southeast of the Kremlin, houses about a quarter million people, according to official data.
Russia’s defense ministry also reported over 70 drones downed in the Bryansk region, with no damage or casualties recorded there.
While continuing its eastern Ukraine campaign, Kyiv has struck inside Russia. A cross-border incursion occurred in Russia’s western Kursk region beginning August 6, alongside escalating drone attacks deep into Russian territory.
Drone Warfare
The ongoing conflict has become a drawn-out artillery and drone campaign along a 620-mile heavily fortified front in southern and eastern Ukraine. Both nations are sourcing and creating new drones, innovating deployment tactics, and developing countermeasures ranging from shotguns to sophisticated electronic jamming equipment.
In this war, inexpensive commercial drones have been converted into lethal devices. Both sides have increased drone production, aiming at targets like tanks and energy infrastructures, including refineries and airfields.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, attempting to shield Moscow from war’s toll, condemned Ukrainian drone strikes targeting civilian structures as “terrorism” and vowed retribution. Major Russian cities, including Moscow, have largely been insulated from the conflict’s harshest effects.
Conversely, Russia has unleashed thousands of missiles and drones on Ukraine over the past two and a half years, resulting in extensive civilian casualties and critical damage to Ukraine’s energy systems and infrastructure.
Ukraine justifies its deep strikes into Russia as retaliatory, though Kyiv’s Western allies seek to avoid escalating into a direct conflict with the NATO-led coalition. Immediate comments from Ukraine regarding Tuesday’s attacks were absent. Both sides refute targeting civilians.
Tuesday’s assault follows earlier Ukrainian drone strikes in September aimed primarily at Russia’s energy and power sectors. In the Tula region, adjacent to Moscow, drone debris landed on a fuel and energy facility without disrupting its operations.
Reported by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Written by Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn; Edited by Lincoln Feast, Michael Perry, and Alex Richardson
