Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that Russia had intercepted more than 1,600 drones since Saturday, including 450 that were headed toward the capital, in what he described as an unprecedented assault. A 44-year-old woman was killed in Sofino when a drone struck an apartment building, according to regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov. Reuters witnesses in Moscow heard explosions and saw smoke rising from the Moscow oil refinery, while authorities also reported a fire at a warehouse complex in Sofino.
The attack disrupted travel at Moscow’s airports, with all four of the city's international airports placed under temporary flight restrictions overnight before the restrictions were lifted Sunday morning. Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyov confirmed that a 44-year-old woman and an elderly man were killed in separate Ukrainian drone strikes, according to a report from Al Jazeera. Sobyanin also said that a facility at the Moscow oil refinery was damaged during the wave of attacks.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it shot down 1,110 Ukrainian drones overnight. Vorobyov said a total of 20 people were injured in attacks across the Moscow region. A drone also caused a fire at a 21-story apartment building in the Ramenskoye district, forcing authorities to evacuate about 400 people, including 70 children.
Sobyanin added that the attack appeared to be planned with the goal of disrupting elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said one of Russia’s major oil industry sites and a logistics hub used by Russia were both targeted. Zelenskyy said the long-range strikes had a significant impact in the Moscow region.
Al Jazeera reporter Dmitry Medvedenko questioned whether such actions might cause public frustration or rally support for President Putin in response to the ongoing war. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Air Force Command said Russia launched 138 drones across its territory overnight. Ukraine said its defenses shot down or suppressed 101 of the drones and reported impacts at 17 locations.
In the Kyiv region, a mother and her two young children were killed when a Russian drone struck a private home, according to emergency services. A girl later died in a hospital after a separate drone strike in another district, bringing the reported death toll in the Kyiv region to four. Tkachenko noted that the region had suffered more than a day of attacks with 31 sites damaged across five districts.
The Fastiv district suffered the most damage, with 24 locations affected, including homes, industrial and utility buildings, vehicles and an agricultural facility. Al Jazeera reporter Rory Challands described how air raid sirens were sounding almost constantly in Kyiv as drones continued to arrive and missiles were also used at times.
Both Russia and Ukraine have increasingly used long-range drones to strike targets far behind the front lines. Ukraine has focused many of its attacks on Russian oil and energy facilities, which Kyiv says help finance Russia's war effort.
The conflict has now lasted over four and a half years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.