Late last night and into this morning, Moscow endured the largest drone assault since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Russian officials claimed that hundreds of drones were intercepted across the country, with dozens shot down over the capital. The attack ignited fires, damaged high-rise buildings and forced the temporary shutdown of Moscow’s two largest airports, Zhukovsky and Domodedovo.
Residents across the city watched as explosions flashed in the night sky, with videos circulating online showing blasts near central Moscow. The attack, which appeared to be a coordinated swarm of drones, sent shockwaves through the city. Emergency responders rushed to contain fires and assess damage in affected areas.
Russian authorities were quick to respond. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin took to Telegram, proclaiming that air defenses successfully neutralized at least 60 incoming drones before they could reach their targets.
The New York Times reports:
President Vladimir V. Putin was briefed on the attack, according to Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman. Mr. Peskov said Russian air defenses were doing “a great job” but told reporters that the authorities “must remain on guard” because attacks would likely continue.
The predawn strikes — just hours before high-level delegations from Kyiv and the United States were scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible path toward ending the war — appeared intended to serve as a reminder that despite suffering attacks and enduring huge losses, Ukraine can still hit back at Russia.
Ukraine has proposed an immediate truce in the air, saying it would immediately stop long-range strikes into Russia if Moscow agreed to an equivalent halt. That plan, supported by European nations, including France, is envisioned as a first step in building trust ahead of talks about the overall conflict, in which over a million Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded.
While the drones primarily targeted central Moscow, reports indicate that strikes also hit surrounding areas, including Kapotnya, home to a major oil refinery. However, it remains unclear whether the refinery sustained a direct hit. Russian authorities have yet to confirm the full extent of the damage.
Ukraine has not officially claimed responsibility for the strike. However, the scale and timing of the attack align with Kyiv’s ongoing strategy to disrupt Russian infrastructure and challenge Moscow’s sense of security, as the conflict appears to be reaching a critical turning point.
The attack comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for high-stakes negotiations in Saudi Arabia, where U.S. officials from the Trump administration are urging Ukraine to accept territorial concessions in exchange for a ceasefire. While Zelensky has expressed openness to a truce under certain conditions, Kyiv remains desperate for renewed U.S. intelligence and military support, which Washington has frozen.
The scale of last night’s drone assault raises new questions about how far Ukraine is willing to escalate its counterattacks against Russian aggression, especially as Tuesday’s talks unfold.
Meanwhile, Moscow has yet to reveal how it plans to respond to the latest strike.
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Zelensky is an idiot. He does not want peace. There is no money in peace.