Ukraine Launches Massive Overnight Drone Offensive Targeting Moscow and Russia
- Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia in a sweeping overnight offensive that included what officials described as the largest-ever attack on Moscow.
- The massive aerial campaign unfolded on the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections.
- While long-range strikes hit targets deep inside Russian territory, fighting continued to exact a heavy toll within Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia in a sweeping overnight offensive that included what officials described as the largest-ever attack on Moscow.
Escalating Aerial Duel and Infrastructure Strikes
The massive aerial campaign unfolded on the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on social media that Kyiv utilized a range of domestically manufactured missiles and drones, including Flamingo and Pelican systems, to target critical oil and logistics infrastructure. According to Zelenskyy, the strikes targeted assets valued at billions of dollars that sustain the Russian war machine.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that its air defense forces shot down a total of 1,110 Ukrainian drones across the country, as well as over the annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea. Across the wider Moscow region, local Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that the falling debris and strikes killed two people—identified as a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman—and wounded 20 others.
Parallel Strikes in Ukraine and Diplomatic Developments
While long-range strikes hit targets deep inside Russian territory, fighting continued to exact a heavy toll within Ukraine. President Zelenskyy reported that a Russian drone strike hit a monastery in the Kherson region, killing a member of the clergy and wounding four people. In the Ukrainian capital, a separate Russian attack killed two children and their mother, with regional officials confirming that another wounded child later died in the hospital.
The aerial escalation coincides with diplomatic movements. President Zelenskyy announced that he spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump and that the two leaders agreed to meet the following week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department announced the approval of a potential $2.68 billion sale of air defense equipment to Ukraine, following congressional approval of new sanctions targeting Russia.
