Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Attack on Moscow in Two Years

Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in two years early Thursday morning, deploying a massive wave of unmanned aerial vehicles that targeted the capital's energy infrastructure and disrupted aviation.

Russian defense officials stated that air defenses intercepted 194 drones targeting the capital and a total of 555 across Russia overnight.

The strikes damaged infrastructure, sparked fires, and temporarily disrupted flights at Moscow airports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the operation, describing the cross-border strikes as "long-range sanctions" and a justified response to ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and communities.

Strike at Moscow Refinery

Among the primary targets was Moscow’s Kapotnya oil refinery, which was struck for the second time this week.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that while several drones were intercepted, several managed to strike the facility.

Video footage circulating on social media showed an enormous explosion, heavy smoke, and a major fire at the scene.

One Ukrainian drone strike blew the lid off a fuel storage tank, sending it flying.

Emergency services attended multiple attack sites around the city.

In addition to the refinery, drone debris caused a fire at a shopping center in southeastern Moscow, while another drone struck an apartment building in Zhukovsky, damaging a fire escape.

Coordinated Long-Range Campaign

Zelensky credited the coordinated efforts of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Unmanned Systems Forces, the Special Operations Forces, Defense Intelligence, and the defense missile brigade for the precision of the strikes.

Kyiv has systematically stepped up strikes on Russian energy facilities in recent months, targeting refineries, terminals, and depots to disrupt the facilities that sustain the Russian war machine.

Targets were also struck in the Rostov region and in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine last night.

Last week, Ukrainian forces hit the Kuibyshev refinery in the Samara region, alongside two oil infrastructure facilities in the Vladimir region.

A Tit-For-Tat Escalation

The escalation comes as Russia continues its own campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure, hitting an energy facility, an industrial site, and a business in the Poltava region on Wednesday night.

According to Zelensky, Russia utilized 1,920 attack drones, 1,790 guided aerial bombs, and 17 missiles against Ukraine last week alone.

The strikes coincide with diplomatic maneuvers in Europe, where Zelensky met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels to discuss the NATO Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) procurement mechanism.

The Ukrainian leader also secured agreements to further strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses following meetings with G7 leaders in France.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting leaders from 11 Southeast Asian nations at the ASEAN-Russia summit in Kazan.