All articles tagged with #moscow
Overnight July 6–7, more than 430 drones targeted the Moscow region, with 36 approaching the capital. Russian air defenses intercepted most drones before reaching Moscow, and Sheremetyevo Airport imposed temporary flight restrictions as part of security measures in what authorities called one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow in years.
An AFP-detailed look reveals Ukraine’s ultra-secret deep-strike drone unit (Centre No. 1) conducting long-range attacks on Russia, including Moscow’s oil refineries and Saint Petersburg, all kept hidden with identities and missions under tight security. Operators use encrypted communications, cash-only spending, and flight-mode phones; lie detectors guard against leaks. Kyiv frames these strikes as retaliation for Russian attacks, highlighting the high personal and family cost of secrecy as the team dreams of one day striking the Kremlin.
Ukraine launched a large overnight drone assault on Moscow, firing more than 60 drones as part of a broader wave across 18 Russian regions, including a strike on Moscow’s Dubna satellite communications center; Kyiv says it has disrupted multiple Russian centers to hinder Moscow’s invasion, while Russia reports civilian casualties and acknowledges fuel shortages as its energy infrastructure comes under pressure.
Ukrainian drones attacked the Moscow region and other parts of Russia, with Moscow reporting 56 drones shot down near the capital and airspace closures at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports. The Defense Ministry says 419 drones were intercepted overnight across 18 regions and Crimea, while authorities reported casualties, including a six-month-old child killed in Yegoryevsk and others hospitalized.
Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly commented on Ukrainian strikes against energy infrastructure during a June 23 government briefing—the first such remarks since strikes on Moscow refineries in mid-June. He framed Kyiv’s attacks as a tactic to disrupt energy supplies and tourism, said the government would take steps to mitigate the consequences, and reiterated that defense and security agencies bear primary responsibility for countering threats. The piece notes fuel shortages from refinery disruptions and hints at a possible diesel export ban, while observers note Putin’s wartime popularity has declined amid Russian setbacks.
Ukraine’s drone campaign has breached the war’s one-way dynamic by hitting targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow’s Kapotnya refinery and the Tyumen Antipinsky refinery, signaling Moscow’s energy vulnerabilities and bringing the conflict into the Russian heartland. The strikes won’t decide the front, but they alter risk perceptions and could provoke heavier retaliation or broader escalation. The key question for Washington is whether Russia’s vulnerability can be used as leverage to extract concessions from Kyiv or if it’s a problem to be solved; regardless, Moscow’s exposure suggests the war is shrinking its geographic distance even as energy and civilian strain mount on both sides.
Moscow's main airports were temporarily shut as Ukrainian drones targeted the capital; by around 10 a.m. air defenses had intercepted about 80 drones around the city, prompting safety suspensions at Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky that were later lifted. Russia said 301 drones were intercepted across the country, with no casualties reported; the attacks followed Ukraine’s strike on Moscow-area fuel infrastructure and a separate Russian drone strike on a cargo vessel en route to Ukraine.
President Zelensky warned that Russia is preparing a massive attack as Russian strikes killed at least six people across Ukraine, including five in Zaporizhzhia and others near Sumy and Kherson, with residents urged to heed air-raid warnings amid ongoing fighting.
Ukrainian drones hit Moscow’s Kapotnya oil refinery, triggering fires and smoke that disrupted life in the capital; the attack, which damaged facilities and killed an eight-year-old girl in a related strike, underscores how the war is moving closer to Moscow as authorities warn of more strikes amid petrol shortages and rising prices.
Following Ukraine’s largest drone strike on Moscow, the Kremlin praised the high performance of Russia’s air defenses as a fire erupted at the Gazprom Neft refinery; an eight-year-old girl was killed and 17 people were wounded, with Putin silent on the attack and officials downplaying the damage.
Ukraine’s tactic of deploying large drone swarms is overwhelming Russia’s air defenses, which were designed for traditional aircraft and missiles rather than swarms. Video evidence from Moscow shows frantic responses, including shoulder-fired air-defense launches on a busy highway and a drone strike on infrastructure, while experts say Russia’s aging systems are not fit for drone attacks and sanctions have hampered upgrades. Kyiv has long targeted air-defense launchers and radars to degrade Russia’s defenses, a strategy that has brought the war home to Moscow and other major Russian cities.
Ukraine's largest-ever drone attack on Moscow hit a Gazprom Neft refinery on the city’s southeastern edge, with nearly 200 drones, 16 injuries, and four Moscow airports suspending flights; Russia vowed to escalate with frequent, 'massive group strikes' against Ukraine, while Zelenskiy framed the strikes as retaliation and analysts noted growing vulnerabilities in Moscow's air defenses.
Ukrainian drones struck Gazprom Neft's Kapotnya refinery in southeastern Moscow for the second time in three days, causing fires at multiple units including the tank farm; wind carried combustion byproducts across the Moscow region, prompting residents to stay indoors, wear protective gear, and limit outdoor activity as the blaze continued to burn.
Ukraine launched a large swarm of drones against Moscow—potentially the largest attack on the capital to date—damaging buildings and igniting an oil refinery as Moscow says it shot down hundreds of drones in retaliation for Kyiv's bombardment.
Ukraine launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in years, targeting the Kapotnya oil refinery in southeast Moscow and triggering a large blaze and smoke as flights were disrupted; Moscow said most drones were shot down but several reached the refinery, while Kyiv framed the strike as retaliation for strikes on a historic monastery and Western leaders discussed responses.