Moscow hit by largest drone attack in three years

File Source: Euronews

Moscow was hit by its most significant drone assault in three years, leaving at least three people dead and several others injured as tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated ahead of peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

The overnight attack, which Russian officials blamed on Ukraine, resulted in two fatalities in Moscow and one in Donetsk. Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, confirmed the deaths of a 50-year-old man and another victim in the towns of Vidnoye and Domodedovo, just outside the capital. Seven apartments were damaged, and over a dozen residents, including children, were evacuated. Vorobyov shared images of the destruction on social media, showing burnt-out vehicles and damaged buildings.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the assault as the largest Ukrainian drone attack on the city since the war began in 2022. He stated that over 70 drones were intercepted as they approached the capital. The Russian military later reported that air defenses had taken down at least 91 drones over Moscow’s surrounding region and a total of 337 across 10 Russian regions, with the majority shot down over Kursk.

Flights were temporarily restricted in all four of Moscow’s airports, while two airports further east were forced to close. Rail traffic at Domodedovo station was also suspended. Attacks were reported in other regions, including Ryazan and Belgorod, where Belgorod’s governor said several settlements lost power due to the strikes.

Meanwhile, Russia launched retaliatory attacks on Ukraine, killing one person and wounding four others in the frontline towns of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka. In Kherson, a 40-year-old cyclist was injured when a Russian drone struck in the morning. In the northern Sumy region, one person was wounded and five homes were damaged by Russian drone attacks. Fires broke out in multiple locations, including a fuel tank, a residential house, and a warehouse storing children’s toys in Odesa.

Ukraine’s air force said it successfully intercepted 79 drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile overnight, including in the capital, Kyiv.

The attacks come as representatives from Ukraine and the United States prepare to meet in Saudi Arabia for critical negotiations aimed at ending the war. According to two senior Ukrainian officials, Kyiv’s delegation will propose a ceasefire covering the Black Sea and long-range missile strikes, along with the release of Ukrainian prisoners held in Russia.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will be attending the talks, said Washington was eager to hear Kyiv’s proposals before assessing how far apart the two sides remain. “I’m not going to set any conditions on what they have to or need to do. I think we want to listen to see how far they’re willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are,” Rubio told reporters.

Acknowledging the difficulty of broaching concessions amid escalating violence, he added, “It’s hard in the aftermath of something like that to even talk about concessions, but that’s the only way this is going to end and prevent more suffering.”

The US has halted military aid to Ukraine and temporarily paused intelligence-sharing, though White House special envoy Steve Witkoff clarified that the intelligence freeze does not affect information needed for Ukraine’s defense. “We never shut off intelligence for … anything defensive that the Ukrainians need,” Witkoff told Fox News.

The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, alongside national security advisers, defense officials, and foreign ministers. Rubio will lead the US delegation, joined by Witkoff and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.