Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Strike on Moscow, Officials Report
The attack, described as the second-largest drone strike of the war, resulted in civilian casualties and significant damage.
Ukraine conducted a large-scale drone attack on Moscow overnight, reportedly launching hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles toward the capital. Russian authorities stated the strike was the second largest of its kind in the ongoing conflict.
According to official reports, two men, aged 71 and 20, were killed on the outskirts of Moscow. Nine other individuals sustained injuries, and dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, claimed that Ukraine launched 650 drones at the capital, though he asserted that most were neutralized by air defense systems at a distance. Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of Moscow Oblast, reported that 185 drones were destroyed or neutralized across 16 municipalities in the region. He confirmed the two fatalities and injuries, adding that 47 houses in seven municipalities and four apartments in a residential building in Lobanovo village were damaged.
Several areas in the region reportedly lost power following the attacks. The head of Domodedovo, a town south of Moscow, indicated that efforts were underway to restore electricity to affected villages.
War blogger Yuri Podolyaka claimed that a Ukrainian drone struck a fuel storage tank at Volodarskaya, identified as Moscow's largest oil distribution facility. This site stores diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel. Video footage shared by a separate blog, Supernova+, purported to show a large fire at the facility, though official confirmation of a drone strike on the depot has not been provided.
The Russian state news agency TASS described the overnight assault as the second-largest drone attack on Moscow and its surrounding region in the past two years. The strikes also disrupted operations at the city's four airports, with Russian civil aviation authorities reporting multiple air traffic restrictions throughout the night and into the morning.
Both Ukraine and Russia have increased long-range strikes targeting civilian and industrial infrastructure, including energy, transport, and port facilities, as well as Black Sea shipping. Moscow has indicated plans to escalate strikes on infrastructure targets, including in Kyiv, as winter approaches. Ukraine has focused on targeting oil refineries, depots, and export terminals to impede Russia's war financing.