Ukraine fired over 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, striking the capital Moscow and targeting regions across the country. The attack killed two people and wounded 20 in the wider Moscow region, according to official reports. The Kremlin says Kyiv’s aim is to pressure President Vladimir Putin into negotiating peace.
The scale and scope of the overnight attack were unprecedented. Over 1,000 Ukrainian drones were fired at Russia overnight, according to reports. Hundreds of those drones were launched toward Moscow, the capital city. Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the “largest ever” drone attack on the Russian capital.
The attack came on the final day of Russia’s first parliamentary elections held during the war. It was also the same day Russia held a vote in four Ukrainian regions it annexed illegally and in Crimea. The timing was not accidental, and the attack was the largest of its kind on Moscow.
The Scale of the Overnight Attack
Over 1,000 Ukrainian drones were fired at Russia overnight, according to reports. Hundreds of those drones were launched toward Moscow, the capital city. Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the “largest ever” drone attack on the Russian capital.
The attack came on the final day of Russia’s first parliamentary elections held during the war. It was also the same day Russia held a vote in four Ukrainian regions it annexed illegally and in Crimea.
Casualties in Moscow and Beyond
The attack killed two people in the Moscow region. The dead were identified as a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman. The wounded numbered 20, a figure that reflects the scale of damage across the city.
A residential building was damaged by the attack, along with the Moscow Oil Refinery. The destruction was widespread, but the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
The Tragedy in Kyiv
The attack on Kyiv killed two children and their mother. Another child later died in hospital. Zelenskyy said Kyiv used a range of missiles and drones in the attack, including Ukraine’s domestically made Flamingo and Pelican missiles, to hit oil and logistics facilities.
Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump, agreeing to meet at the UN General Assembly in New York. The call came as the attack unfolded, placing Kyiv’s leader directly in the international spotlight.
Kherson Suffers on Both Sides
A Ukrainian attack in the Russian-occupied Kherson region killed a member of the local electoral committee. The attack hit a person directly involved in the vote that Moscow was holding in that area.
A Russian drone strike in the same region killed a member of clergy and wounded four people. The clergyman died in the attack, which came in the Kherson region where Moscow is trying to consolidate control.
Zelenskyy’s Public Line
Zelenskyy said Kyiv aims to make the Russian public feel the war’s consequences and pressure Putin into negotiating peace. He laid out the strategy plainly in his response to the attack.
The attack was the largest of its kind on Moscow, and it hit the day of the vote. That timing was not accidental.
The Front Line and the Vote
The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine is roughly 1,250 kilometers (780 miles) long. The war has dragged on for months, with no sign of a quick end.
Russia’s vote was held in four Ukrainian regions it annexed illegally and in Crimea. The Kremlin leaders have so far shown no sign of stopping the invasion.
A Direct Test of Which Side Will Yield
The attack on Moscow was a direct test of which side will yield first. The Kremlin claims Kyiv’s aim is to pressure Putin into negotiating a peace settlement. That is the stated goal, and the attack was the means.
| Incident | Location | Casualties |
|---|---|---|
| Moscow drone attack | Moscow | 2 killed, 20 wounded |
| Kyiv missile strike | Kyiv | 2 children and a mother killed, 1 more died in hospital |
| Kherson Ukrainian attack | Kherson | 1 electoral committee member killed |
| Kherson Russian strike | Kherson | 1 clergyman killed, 4 wounded |
The Reaction From Both Sides
The response has been immediate. Sobyanin described the attack as an “unprecedented attack,” an attempt to disrupt the elections. “The enemy failed in this regard,” he said.
The attack on Moscow was the largest of its kind, and it hit a city that has not seen this level of destruction in years. The toll in lives and in damage will take time to fully assess.
The war is a test of resolve for both sides, and the attack on Moscow shows that neither side is willing to back down.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs neither side here, and takes no position on the attack, as the conflict itself is not the paper’s concern but the state of the channels that keep open the hope of trade, diplomacy and compromise.
The paper is sceptical of foreign entanglements and of trade wars alike, and backs the deal over the standoff. The attack on Moscow, and the counter-strike on Kyiv and Kherson, close channels rather than open them. The paper’s concern is that the conflict’s channels remain open for trade, diplomacy and compromise, and that these channels are being closed by both sides.
The reader should watch for the destruction of civilian buildings, the deaths of the 74-year-old man, the 44-year-old woman, the two children and their mother, and the clergyman — and ask whether any leader’s claim to be pressing the other into peace stands alongside such deaths.
Source material: “Ukraine fires over 1,000 drones at Russia, including 'largest ever' attack on Moscow,” ABC7 Los Angeles.
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