Moscow targeted by 620 Ukrainian drones in heaviest attack in two years

620 drones target the Moscow capital region

Ukrainian forces launched 620 drones toward Moscow and its surrounding region between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, marking the most intense aerial assault on the capital in two years according to Russian state news agency Tass. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that Russian air defense units intercepted most of the incoming unmanned aircraft along their flight approach before they reached the metropolitan perimeter. Air defense systems shot down an additional 180 drones directly over the Moscow metropolitan area during the morning hours. The volume of drones surpassed all previous strikes recorded against the capital over the past 24 months. Official Russian municipal agencies and emergency services released no immediate assessments concerning ground casualties or structural damage across the capital region.

Consecutive waves and verified casualties

The Tuesday barrage followed an earlier large-scale attack against the Moscow region during the night to Sunday, when approximately 600 drones targeted the area. That Sunday operation resulted in one confirmed death and multiple injuries, according to casualty statements released by Sobyanin. Aerial operations intensified simultaneously across both nations, as the night to Sunday also featured heavy strikes directed against Kyiv. Ukrainian air units have established a pattern of conducting near-daily drone operations directed against targets inside the Russian capital region. Russian authorities noted that operational claims, including exact interception tallies and battlefield casualty figures, could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian long-range strike doctrine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky convened with top military commanders to evaluate the strategic results of drone strikes conducted deep inside Russian territory. Ukrainian planners have directed these unmanned attacks specifically at Russian armaments manufacturing facilities and crude oil infrastructure to weaken the operational strike power of the Russian armed forces. Ukrainian commanders reviewed damage assessments and discussed future deployments before approving updated operational roadmaps. Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian command structures have already established concrete targets and strike schedules extending through the coming weeks.

We are continuing our long-range operations. The priorities for precision strikes through September have already been established.

Western supply chains and regional fallout

During the strategic review of drone operations, Zelensky addressed the persistence of foreign industrial supply chains that sustain Russian military production. The Ukrainian president criticized foreign suppliers, asserting that essential weapon components continue reaching Russian factories from abroad, including from G7 member economies.

Even from countries that belong to the G7 and certainly have no interest in Putin prolonging the war and increasing the scale of the attacks.

The widening aerial campaign coincided with regional developments across neighboring borders, including the impact of a suspected Russian drone that came down in Moldova. Within Russia, domestic friction over the conflict emerged as a senior chief economist was dismissed from his post following public criticism of the war in Ukraine.