- Hundreds of Ukrainian drones target Moscow and southern Russia, leaving at least six people dead; Russian strikes kill five in Ukraine
KYIV: Ukraine launched one of its largest aerial assaults on Russia since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, sending hundreds of drones toward targets across the country and killing at least six people, Russian officials said Sunday.
The escalation comes as Kyiv has intensified its long-range campaign against Russian military-industrial facilities, energy infrastructure and other strategic targets. Ukrainian forces have increasingly employed drones and long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory, bringing the effects of the nearly four-and-a-half-year war closer to the Russian public.
Hundreds of Drones Target Moscow and Southern Russia
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defenses destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said around 600 drones had been detected heading toward the Russian capital.
According to Sobyanin, approximately one-third of those drones were intercepted over the Moscow region.
An 83-year-old man was killed when a Ukrainian drone struck a private residence in the Moscow region, regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said. He also reported that a Ukrainian drone attack triggered a fire at a Wildberries warehouse in Podolsk, adding to a series of recent attacks on facilities belonging to the Russian online retail giant.
In the southwestern Rostov region, more than 150 drones targeted three towns, according to regional Governor Yury Slyusar. The attacks killed five people, damaged residential buildings and a railway station, and sparked a forest fire.
Ukraine Faces Deadly Russian Strikes
Ukraine also came under a fresh wave of Russian attacks, with strikes reported across several regions.
A Russian missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed two people and wounded 14 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. One additional death was reported in the northeastern city of Sumy.
Ukraine’s largest steel producer, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, said one of its facilities was hit in the attack, forcing a partial suspension of operations.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian strike hit a residential building, killing a man and a woman, according to regional military administration chief Ivan Fedorov.
Kyiv Book Market Hit by Russian Attack
Russian attacks also caused fires and damage across Kyiv, injuring at least six people.
One of the capital’s largest book markets, located near the Pochaina metro station, was engulfed in flames. The fire destroyed numerous kiosks and market structures, sending thick black smoke over parts of the city.
“Wherever the Russians can reach with their ballistic missiles, they strike civilian infrastructure,” Zelensky said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, however, said its forces had targeted a metallurgical facility in Kryvyi Rih and several military-industrial sites in Kyiv, including a facility involved in the production of Ukraine’s domestically developed Flamingo missiles.
Ukraine Expands Long-Range Missile Campaign
Ukraine has increasingly relied on domestically produced long-range weapons to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.
Zelensky said Saturday that Ukrainian forces had used Flamingo missiles to target a Russian rocket research and production facility in Samara, approximately 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The expanding Ukrainian long-range campaign represents a significant shift in the conflict, with Kyiv seeking to disrupt Russia’s military production and logistics capabilities while continuing to demonstrate its ability to strike targets far from the front lines.
NATO Fighter Shoots Down Drone Over Romanian Airspace
Separately, Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said a Spanish Air and Space Force F-18 fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace.
Romanian surveillance systems detected the drone at approximately 4:44 a.m., around 24 kilometers north of the eastern city of Galați, near the border with Moldova.
The Spanish fighter, which was conducting NATO air-policing operations, established radar contact with the unidentified drone and received authorization to engage, according to the Romanian Defense Ministry.
The drone was shot down at approximately 5:01 a.m.
Romanian authorities did not immediately identify the origin of the drone.
The incident highlights the growing risk of the Ukraine conflict spilling into neighboring NATO airspace as Russia and Ukraine expand their use of long-range drones and missiles.
BY: The Times Union
