In a massive airborne offensive, Ukraine launched an attack on the Moscow region, targeting multiple regions in western Russia and occupied territories with over 450 drones.

Source: cdnph.upi.com

Details of the Attack

Russian authorities reported that more than 430 drones descended upon the Moscow region overnight, marking the largest assault on the capital and surrounding areas in two years. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed the attack, stating that there were 430 incoming unmanned aerial vehicles between late Monday night and 6 a.m. local time Tuesday.

Sobyanin added that air defenses downed most of the drones at distant approaches, but 36 got close to Moscow before being destroyed. This comes after the mayor reported more than 200 drones heading toward the Moscow region on Saturday, with most being downed at some distance from the capital by air defenses.

The attack was part of a major airborne offensive by Kyiv, targeting 15 Russian regions, including occupied Kherson province, Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea. The assault resulted in at least one person killed and five injured.

Alexander Khinshtein, Governor of Kursk region, which borders Ukraine, reported that a 33-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman sustained multiple shrapnel wounds after a drone hit the town of Yubileyny, northwest of the capital, Kursk.

An industrial facility in Dzerzhinsky district in the Kaluga region, 120 miles southwest of Moscow, was set ablaze, while homes and vehicles in the southwestern Voronezh region were damaged by debris from downed drones.

In a separate incident, Ukrainian media reported that Belgorod Airport and a natural gas pipeline operations facility were set on fire after a ‘massive’ missile attack on the province, resulting in at least one person killed and three injured.

The general staff of Ukraine’s military claimed hits on the Bryansk Chemical Plant, which it said made component gunpowder, explosives, and rocket propellant components for Russian munitions. Additionally, the general staff reported hits on two strategically significant railway bridges in occupied Crimea and military depots in occupied Donetsk province.

Russia carried out a third night of aerial attacks against Ukraine since Thursday, with the Ukraine Air Force stating that 123 ‘Shahed strike UAVs’ from multiple directions targeted north, south, center, and east of the country. Ukrainian air defenses downed 108 of the drones, but 12 got through, hitting 10 locations with falling drone debris causing damage in a further five locations.

No casualties were reported, but the death toll from strikes on Kyiv and surrounding areas overnight Sunday and into Monday rose to at least 26, on top of 30 killed in a massive missile and drone assault targeting the capital on Friday.

Prior to this attack, Ukraine’s largest assault on the Moscow region was on June 18, when a record 190 drones were destroyed as they bore down on the Russian capital.

Air defenses downed at least 475 Ukrainian drones in seven other airborne attacks targeting the capital in the three months between March 11 and June 17, according to Moscow Mayor Sobyanin.

Previous Incidents

In the past, Ukraine has targeted the Moscow region with drones, with the largest attack being on June 18, when 190 drones were destroyed.

Between March 11 and June 17, air defenses downed at least 475 Ukrainian drones in seven airborne attacks targeting the capital.

Impact of the Attack

The attack has significant implications for the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The use of drones has become a key tactic in the war, with both sides employing them to attack each other’s territories and military installations.

The attack on the Moscow region has also raised concerns about the effectiveness of Russia’s air defenses, which were unable to stop all of the drones from reaching the capital.