Ukraine has launched a major drone raid on Moscow and surrounding areas, with more than a dozen UAVs shot down just hours after Kiev claimed it was ready for another round of talks with Russia.
Air defenses intercepted at least 15 drones en route to the Russian capital as of 2:30am Sunday morning, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said. He reported “no significant damage or casualties” on the ground, adding that emergency services were responding at the debris crash sites.
The Defense Ministry said at least 19 drones were intercepted overnight in Moscow Region. In total, 97 drones were downed from 11:30pm Saturday to 7:00am Sunday – including 38 over Bryansk, 11 over Kaluga, eight over Tula, and five over Oryol Regions.
At least one residential high-rise was reportedly damaged in Zelenograd, a district on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow. The explosion shattered windows, and at least two cars caught fire on the ground, according to videos shared on Telegram.
Moscow’s Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky airports suspended operations as a precaution during the air raid, and resumed flights after 4am.
Kiev has intensified attempted drone attacks on Moscow over the past week, according to Sobyanin, who has reported similar nightly raids since Wednesday.
Ukraine has conducted UAV raids deep into Russian territory for months, often striking residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. The Russian government has denounced the strikes as “terrorist attacks” that deliberately target civilians.
The raid comes just hours after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky proposed a third round of talks with Russia in Istanbul next week. At their most recent meeting in June, the Russian delegation offered a conditional ceasefire, saying Moscow would agree to a truce if Kiev took meaningful steps to deescalate, including suspending Western military aid deliveries. Kiev rejected the offer.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kiev is seeking an unconditional pause in the fighting to rearm and regroup its forces. Moscow has warned that it will not tolerate the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine, even under the guise of peacekeepers.
