Russia says 4 killed in 'largest' Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow

Drone barrage targets Russian capital

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian drones killed four people and wounded 21 others in a massive overnight assault targeting multiple regions, with state-run Tass news agency describing the wave of 556 intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles as the largest attack on Moscow in more than a year. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said air defenses shot down 81 drones heading toward the capital overnight, adding that 120 drones had been intercepted over the preceding 24 hours.

Sobyanin stated that 12 people were injured in the attacks, most of them construction workers near a checkpoint at the Moscow Oil Refinery. "The refinery's operations were not disrupted. Three buildings were damaged," he said on Telegram, noting that emergency services had contained the resulting fires without halting production at the strategic facility.

Fatalities reported in Moscow region and border areas

In the Moscow region, Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported three fatalities and four injuries resulting from the drone strikes, according to his statement on the Russian social media platform Max. Belgorod region authorities confirmed one death and two injuries over the same 24-hour period, while Kursk region Governor Aleksandr Hinshtein said three people were injured in border areas as Ukrainian forces continued cross-border operations.

The Defense Ministry listed the intercepted drones as targeting Belgorod, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Bryansk, Voronezh, Tula, Smolensk, Pskov, Lipetsk, Tver and Rostov regions, as well as Krasnodar Krai, the Moscow region, annexed Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas. The ministry did not provide details regarding any infrastructure damage in these areas beyond the capital.

Ukraine reports downing 279 Russian drones overnight

Ukrainian authorities accused Moscow of launching 287 drones overnight and injuring 22 people across the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. The General Staff said Ukrainian air defenses shot down 279 of the drones, according to the military's statement on Telegram.

Dnipropetrovsk Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said eight people were injured in Russian drone and artillery attacks across four districts of the region. Kharkiv region administration head Oleh Synehubov reported seven injuries over the past 24 hours, and Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed seven people were wounded in attacks across his region during the same period. Independent verification of the claims from either side remains difficult due to the ongoing war and restrictions on media access in combat zones.