Moscow: Moscow and its surrounding region were hit by a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack overnight, resulting in at least two deaths and nine injuries, Russian officials reported Tuesday.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it intercepted 337 drones in what has been described as the most extensive assault on the capital since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that air defenses were actively repelling the attack, while the Defense Ministry confirmed that 91 drones were shot down in the Moscow region and another 126 over the Kursk region near the Ukrainian border.
Governor Andrei Vorobyov of the Moscow region announced the casualties, stating that a 50-year-old man succumbed to his injuries despite multiple resuscitation attempts at a local hospital. Another victim, a 38-year-old man, was killed in a parking lot outside a meat processing facility. Several residential buildings in the suburbs suffered damage due to falling drone debris.
The Russian newspaper Kommersant labeled the attack as the largest on Moscow since the war began but noted that only one drone appeared to have directly reached the capital, while the rest were intercepted or crashed in the surrounding areas.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened an inquiry into the incident, treating it as an act of terrorism. Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the attack, linking it to a visit by OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioglu in Moscow. She accused Western nations of losing control over Ukraine, claiming Kyiv was acting recklessly with the support it had received.
The attack comes at a critical time, just before high-level discussions between Ukrainian and U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine reportedly plans to propose a partial ceasefire in an effort to regain support from Washington, which has recently suspended military aid, intelligence sharing, and satellite access.
The meeting in Saudi Arabia follows last month’s tense White House talks, where U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for lacking gratitude, and President Donald Trump warned him about the risks of escalating the war. The U.S. is now pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to bring an end to the three-year conflict.
