Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Strike on Moscow Region, Killing Four

Ukraine carried out one of its largest drone strikes on Russia since the war began, killing at least four people and injuring a dozen others near Moscow, according to local authorities. The attack also damaged residential buildings and infrastructure in the Moscow region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strikes, calling them “entirely justified” and a response to Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukrainian cities.

The fatalities included a woman in Khimki, a city northwest of Moscow, and two men in the village of Pogorelki, about six miles north of the capital, as reported by Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov. Another man was killed in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 12 people were wounded near the entrance to the city’s oil refinery, though the refinery’s technology was not damaged. Debris from the drones also fell on Sheremetyevo, Russia’s largest airport, but caused no damage or flight disruptions.

The Indian embassy in Russia confirmed that one Indian citizen was among those killed in the Moscow region, with three others injured. Embassy officials have visited the injured and are coordinating with local authorities to provide assistance.

Russia’s defense ministry reported shooting down 556 drones overnight, with more than 1,000 drones either shot down or jammed over the past 24 hours. Sobyanin noted that 81 drones headed for Moscow were intercepted, marking the largest attack on the capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Zelenskyy highlighted that the drones flew more than 310 miles from Ukrainian territory, demonstrating Ukraine’s ability to penetrate Russian air defenses concentrated around Moscow. “Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified,” he said. “This time, Ukrainian long-distance sanctions have reached the Moscow region, and we are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war.”

An expert from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Nigel Gould Davies, described the strike as retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Kyiv, including those following Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9. He said the attack underscores Ukraine’s capacity to strike near the Russian capital, a development likely to increase anxiety within Russia amid battlefield setbacks and economic challenges.

Meanwhile, Russia launched its own drone strikes on Ukraine overnight, deploying 287 drones, of which 279 were intercepted. These strikes wounded eight people in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, damaging residential buildings in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and Synelkove.

Russia’s foreign ministry accused Kyiv of targeting civilians, with spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calling the attack a “mass terrorist attack” financed by the European Union. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.

Ukraine has intensified drone attacks deep inside Russia in recent weeks, focusing on oil refineries, depots, and pipelines to disrupt Moscow’s oil exports, a key source of funding for its military operations. While the economic impact remains unclear, the strikes have brought the war closer to ordinary Russians far from the front lines.