Ukraine targets Russia with biggest drone strike yet, Moscow halts air ops

Russia on Sunday shot down 34 Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow, marking the largest assault on the capital since the start of its offensive in Ukraine in 2022. The attack led to the temporary closure of three Moscow airports, injured a 52-year-old woman, and set fire to two houses in the village of Stanovoye in the Moscow region, according to Reuters.

The Russian defence ministry said that a total of 70 Ukrainian drones were intercepted. Of these, 34 were downed over the Moscow region, with the remaining drones intercepted over Bryansk, Orlov, Kaluga, Tula, and Kursk.

In the Moscow region, officials were quoted as saying that the drones were downed in the Ramenskoye, Kolomna, and Domodedovo districts.

Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov described Sunday’s drone attack as “massive” and said the injured woman was hospitalised with burns to her face, neck, and hands.

Andrei Klychkov, governor of the Orlov region closer to Moscow, said that air defenses had shot down 10 drones over his region on Sunday, adding that no casualties were reported.

Ukraine has indicated that these attacks, often targeting energy infrastructure, are a response to Russian strikes on its territory since the conflict began in February 2022.

A recent Russian bombardment between Thursday night and Friday killed at least one person and injured over three dozen in Ukrainian cities. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia had launched five missiles, 92 drones, and glide bombs across Ukraine overnight, with air defence units downing four missiles and 62 drones, according to a statement from the air force.