Ukraine launched what authorities have described as the largest drone attack on Moscow, resulting in at least one casualty and several injuries. Moscow City Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed the assault, noting its unprecedented scale. This strike, which targeted Moscow early Tuesday, coincided with upcoming peace talks between US and Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia and a visit from the Organization of Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) secretary general to the Russian capital.
The drone attack had significant repercussions across the region. It affected several settlements in the Belgorod area, leading to power outages. At least seven apartments suffered damage, forcing evacuations in the Ramenskoye district. Additionally, a train station in Domodedovo faced damage, and flights were suspended across all four of Moscow's airports, including those in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that 337 drones targeted Russia overnight, with 91 specifically aimed at the Moscow region. This event marks the largest assault on Moscow during the ongoing conflict, surpassing a previous attack involving 34 UAVs in November 2024. Kyiv stated that the objective was to dismantle infrastructure crucial to Moscow's war efforts.
"At the moment, one person is known to have died and three were injured." – Andrei Vorobyov
The greater Moscow region, home to over 21 million people, experienced significant disruption. The attack's timing raised questions about its intent to coincide with international diplomatic proceedings. In response, Maria Zakharova highlighted a pattern of attacks aligning with visits from foreign delegations.
"This is not the first time that a visit to Moscow by a high-ranking foreign delegation has been accompanied by an attack by Ukrainian armed forces drones." – Maria Zakharova