Russia Faces Largest Drone Attack Since War Began, Killing One Near Moscow
Russia experienced its most extensive drone assault since the start of the war with Ukraine, as 337 Ukrainian drones targeted multiple regions overnight from Monday to Tuesday. The Moscow region, where one person was killed, was at the center of this unprecedented attack.
The assault came just hours before scheduled talks in Saudi Arabia between representatives from Ukraine and the United States, aimed at finding a resolution to the ongoing conflict. The discussions take place amid calls from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to bring the war to an end as soon as possible.
Unprecedented Scale of the Attack
According to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, “During the night, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 337 Ukrainian drones, including 91 over the Moscow region and 126 over Kursk,” a region bordering Ukraine.
Other targeted areas included Bryansk and Belgorod, also near the Ukrainian border, as well as Ryazan, Kaluga, Voronezh, and Nizhny Novgorod.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin described the assault as “the largest hostile drone attack on Moscow,” noting that drones specifically targeted the village of Sabrunovo and the city of Ramenskoye in the greater Moscow area. Emergency response teams were deployed to the crash sites.
Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov confirmed that one person was killed and three others were injured in the attack, which struck two towns in the southern outskirts of the capital.
The agricultural-industrial company Miratorg stated on its website that the deceased was an employee at a distribution center in Domodedovo, where several buildings sustained damage.
Security Concerns Ahead of OSCE Visit
The attack also coincided with the upcoming visit of the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu, to Moscow, where he is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on the timing of the attack, stating on Telegram: “This is not the first time an international high-level visit to Moscow has been accompanied by drone attacks from Ukrainian forces.” She argued that such incidents undermine the OSCE’s core mission of ensuring security and cooperation in Europe.
As a security measure, Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport temporarily halted flight operations, while the city’s three other major airports—Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo—imposed “temporary restrictions,” according to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya).
While daily drone strikes have become routine in the ongoing conflict, Moscow itself has rarely been targeted directly, making this latest attack a significant escalation in the war.
