Ukraine has reportedly carried out the heaviest drone attack to date on Moscow. The nighttime raid on the Russian capital killed at least one person and caused significant damage and disruption. As is usual with such Ukrainian attacks on targets on Russian territory, there was no immediate response from Kiev. However, Russian officials reacted angrily, accusing Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian areas.
In total, Russia claims to have shot down at least 20 Ukrainian drones over the Moscow region, and another 124 over eight other regions. While these claims cannot be independently verified, available videos posted on social media make it clear that this was a significant and sustained attack, with the Moscow region being hit particularly hard.
At least one person has been killed in Ramenskoye, near Moscow: a 46-year-old woman. according to Russian authoritieswhen a fire destroyed a high-rise residential building, injuring three more people, regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said. Meanwhile, 43 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. “Dozens” of homes in the region were reportedly affected.
Several videos show a drone striking a skyscraper in Moscow from very close range, but it is unclear whether this is the same building as the one in Ramenskoye.
Images taken by Moscow residents this morning show clouds of smoke still rising over the capital.
The disruption caused by the drone attacks led to the closure of Moscow’s four main airports (other reports state three) for more than six hours, during which time about 50 flights had to be diverted. One of the airports temporarily closed to air traffic was Domodedovo International, which was reportedly attacked for the first time.
A fire broke out on the runway at Zhukovsky, caused by falling debris from a drone, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed. A series of videos posted on social media showed a fire next to a plane and an airport bus.
Zhukovsky is a joint civil-military airfield known as the home of Russian flight tests and is also the venue of the Moscow International Aviation and Space Show (MAKS).
Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Moscow region, first targeting airports. There have been no civilian flights in Ukraine since February 2022, and Ukraine is seeking reciprocity. Here is a drone burning on the runway of Moscow’s Zhukovsky… photo.twitter.com/YkcTrAJzfm
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) September 10, 2024
One of the main traffic arteries serving Moscow, the Kashirskoye Highway, was reportedly blocked by falling wreckage.
“There is no way nighttime raids on residential areas can be associated with military actions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “The regime in Kiev continues to show its nature. They are our enemies and we must continue the Special Military Operation to protect ourselves from such actions.”
Outside of the Moscow region, drones were reportedly shot down by Russian air defenses over the Bryansk regions (more than 70 drones downed, according to the Russian Defense Ministry) and Tula (where officials said drone debris landed on a fuel and energy facility but did not disable it). Other regions where Ukrainian drone activity was reported include Belgorod, Kursk, Oryol and Smolensk.
A recent series of long-range drone strikes has accompanied Ukraine’s cross-border assault on the Kursk region of western Russia, which began just over a month ago. At the same time, Russian forces have continued to make small but steady advances in eastern Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Ukraine launched another large-scale drone attack which primarily targeted Russian energy infrastructure, including power plants and refineries.
While fewer drone strikes have been carried out in civilian areas of Moscow and other major Russian cities, all successful attacks on the Russian capital a big propaganda coup for Ukraine and a moral blow to the Kremlin leadership. In response to earlier, smaller-scale drone attacks on Moscow, the city’s air defenses were strengthened, including the deployment of Pantsir short-range air defense systems on the roofs of buildings.
Importantly, the night drone attacks involved long-range, one-way Ukrainian-made drones. At least one video suggests the drones were used with two grenades. Lyutyya drone that superficially resembles the one made in Turkey Battery charger TB2 also used by Ukraine, but very different in mission and capabilities, with a significantly greater range.
Ukraine continues to use domestically developed weapons for these long-range strikes, which were initially intended primarily as a means of bring the war to Russiawhile the odds on the battlefield were heavily stacked against Kiev. The asymmetric advantage afforded by increasingly sophisticated drones has increasingly escalated the campaign, using it to target critical infrastructure targets, particularly those related to Russian energy production and exports.
Ukrainian officials, like their Russian counterparts, have insisted that they are not targeting civilians, although overnight strikes on Russia appear to have hit several civilian buildings, killing and wounding others. It is unclear whether non-military targets were deliberately targeted, or whether drones missed their intended targets due to technical malfunctions, electronic warfare or simply because they were shot down over civilian areas.
Russia, in turn, continues to launch long-range drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, hitting civilian areas hard, killing thousands of people and severely damaging the country’s energy infrastructure.
At least three people were injured, buildings were damaged and fires started across Ukraine overnight in Russian drone and missile attacks, authorities said.
The Ukrainian Air Force the destruction claimed of 38 of 46 Russian drones in a wave of attacks against 13 regions. Two Russian missiles were also used in the strikes, the Ukrainian air force added.
While Kiev clearly intends to strike targets deep within Russia’s borders, including high-profile ones, the long-term effects on the population inside Russia remain to be seen. After all, since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, war has seemed far away for many Russian citizens. The combination of long-range drone strikes — including heavy strikes on Moscow — and the ongoing cross-border operation in the Kursk region now brings the reality of war much closer to home for many Russians.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
