Moscow Strikes Its Biggest Attack Yet: 200 Ukrainian Drones Sweep Capital

Moscow has suffered what officials call the largest Ukrainian attack since Russia’s full‑scale invasion began, with roughly 200 drone strikes and four cruise missiles targeting the city.

The barrage produced columns of thick smoke that rose high into the sky, while the city’s four airports were shut down and over 500 flights were canceled or delayed.

Local governor Andrei Vorobyov reported 17 people wounded in the Moscow region and that an oil depot in the southern Rostov region was struck, killing one.

Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted and destroyed about 1,000 drones and four cruise missiles over a 24‑hour period.

President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strike as a “long‑range sanctions” mission, claiming it was in retaliation for a recent Russian attack on Kyiv that ignited a major religious landmark.

“If Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too,” Zelensky told reporters, urging Russia to end the war through diplomacy.

The most visible impact was on the Kapotnya refinery southeast of the city, hit a third time in a month; the explosion lifted a large oil storage tank lid dozens of metres into the air and blackened the skyline.

A nearby shopping centre also caught fire due to drone debris, while several high‑rise blocks were evacuated.

Despite Russian restrictions on publishing images of drone strikes, dozens of videos appeared on social media showing drones slicing across the bright daylight and explosions over industrial outskirts.

The escalation reflects Ukraine’s growing long‑range strike capability, which has expanded since the first successful attacks in spring 2023 and now targets Moscow 500 km from the border.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X that Muscovites were asking “What is going on?” and responded that Russia has been attacking Ukrainian people for years.

President Putin, hosting a summit in Kazan, has not yet commented on the large‑scale attack.