Ukraine’s largest drone barrage strikes Moscow, hours before US talks
Sapronovo, Russia: Ukrainian drones struck high-rise apartment blocks on the outskirts of Moscow early on Tuesday, in what both sides described as the most major attack on the Russian capital since the conflict began three years ago.
The assault, which killed two people and injured several others, took place just hours before top US and Ukrainian officials were set to hold talks in Saudi Arabia. The meeting is expected to discuss a potential ceasefire, a proposal Moscow has previously rejected.
Kyiv stated that the attack should push Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt long-range aerial strikes on Ukraine, a demand that has been repeatedly ignored by Moscow.
Moscow condemns attack, calls it ‘terrorism’
The Kremlin strongly denounced the strikes, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing Ukraine of targeting “residential houses.” He reiterated that Russian forces only strike military infrastructure, despite repeated attacks on Ukrainian civilian areas that have resulted in thousands of deaths.
Moscow’s army reported intercepting 337 Ukrainian drones across the country, making it the "most massive enemy drone attack on Moscow," according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
At one of the attack sites, journalists from AFP observed shattered windows, holes in upper floors, and debris strewn across the ground.
“We were sleeping, there was an explosion, the children screamed,” said Yevgenia Bakatuyeva, a resident of the affected apartment block. Another resident, Artyom, described the experience as "scary in real life" after only seeing such events on television.
Despite the large-scale assault, no air raid alert or siren was sounded in the Russian capital.
Casualties and emergency response
Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov confirmed that two individuals—a 50-year-old man and a 38-year-old security guard—were killed in the attack. Russia’s health ministry reported that six others, including a child, were hospitalised, with one person in a critical condition.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities launched a criminal investigation, branding the attack as an act of terrorism.
In the Vladimir region, 200 km east of Moscow, a village of around 800 people was evacuated after two drones were shot down.
Retaliatory strikes and US involvement
Russia responded by launching 126 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight. Explosions were heard in Kyiv as air defence units intercepted incoming threats. A bomb attack in Kostiantynivka, eastern Ukraine, injured four people, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine’s National Security Council described the drone offensive as "the largest in history," lasting throughout the night and into the morning.
“This is an additional signal to Putin that he should also be interested in a ceasefire in the air,” said Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation.
Kyiv is expected to present a partial ceasefire proposal to the United States during the Saudi talks, hoping to regain Washington’s support. Under President Donald Trump, the US has suspended military aid, intelligence sharing, and satellite imagery access for Ukraine, pressuring Kyiv into negotiations.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, attending the talks, hinted that the ceasefire plan had potential, though Russia has consistently rejected partial peace agreements.
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry escorted OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu to the site of one of the attacks as part of its diplomatic response.
With AFP inputs