Recent Developments in the Conflict
A significant escalation in the conflict occurred last night, with Ukraine launching a large-scale attack on Russian territory, including the capital city of Moscow, using over 120 drones. This marks the largest air raid of its kind since the beginning of the year, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, as announced on their Telegram channel.
Reports from the Russian military indicate that anti-aircraft defenses successfully shot down a total of 123 drones over 13 Russian regions, including one over Moscow. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, confirmed the shooting down of several Ukrainian drones near the capital, providing updates on his Telegram account.
Sobyanin detailed that the initial drones heading towards the capital were destroyed in the areas of Kolomna and Ramenskoe, in the Moscow region. He further reported that two additional unmanned aircraft were shot down in Podolsk, approximately 40 kilometers south of Moscow, with no damage or casualties resulting from the fallen fragments.
Later updates from the mayor included the destruction of more drones in a southern suburb of Moscow and a town about 40 kilometers north of the city. The attack led to the temporary suspension of operations at three airports in the Russian capital, with similar measures taken at airports in six other cities: Kazan, Nizhnikamsk, Penza, Samara, Saratov, and Ufa.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, three drones were intercepted in the Leningrad region, adjacent to Saint Petersburg, while 37 drones were destroyed over the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine.
Concurrent Attacks on Industrial Targets
Simultaneously, Ukraine conducted attacks on a refinery and fuel depot in the Ryazan region of Russia, as well as a factory producing electronic components for missiles in the Bryansk region. This information was shared by Andri Kovalenko, the head of the Center against Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, through his social media channels.
Kovalenko highlighted the significance of the attacked refinery, noting its crucial role in the Russian oil industry, particularly in supplying fuel for both civilian use and the Russian military-industrial complex. The refinery is responsible for providing gas to Russian aircraft and diesel, among other products, to Russian tanks, planes, and ships.
The ‘Kremni’ factory in the Bryansk region, which manufactures microchips for missiles, drones, and other Russian military technologies, was also targeted in the attack. This factory had previously been attacked by Ukraine.
Casualties in Ukraine
In a related development, a Russian drone attack in the Kyiv region resulted in the deaths of three people and injured one other. The attack caused damage to an eleven-story residential building, partially destroyed several houses, and affected three cars and a store, as reported by the Ukrainian Police.
The incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. local time, within the context of another large-scale Russian drone attack targeting areas surrounding the Ukrainian capital. The injured individual, aged 26, received medical attention at a clinic.
Russia has been consistently attacking Ukrainian territory with dozens of long-distance Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones nearly every night.