Ukraine attacked Moscow on Sunday with at least 34 drones, the largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the start of the war in 2022which forced flights to be diverted from three of the city’s main airports and injured at least five people.
Russian air defenses They destroyed 50 other drones Sunday in other regions of western Russia, according to its Defense Ministry.
Regarding the attack, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyreleased a statement on its Telegram channel in which it expressed its gratitude to “all our soldiers who carry out successful attacks with our drones. Everyone can see how this strategy works. Drones are on the front lines, so our long-range drones operate deep in Russia’s rear, Russian military installations are increasingly within the reach of our soldiers.
And he continued: “I thank the Ukrainian security service and members of the special operations forces. Russian military warehouses, airfields and military industry enterprises they won’t be able to hide“.
“The efforts of all those destroying Russian equipment on the front are vital. In particular, the special forces of the Security Service They managed to destroy more than three hundred tanks Russians. Every eighth Russian tank destroyed by Ukraine bears the mark of the SBU guys. I also thank the soldiers of the Main Intelligence Directorate, as well as all units carrying out tasks in the east of our country, both in combat and behind enemy lines.
Russia’s response
From Moscow, they consider that this massive attack was “an attempt by the kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack The use of aircraft-type drones on the territory of the Russian Federation has been thwarted,” the ministry said.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency reported that Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports at least 36 flights were hijackedbut then they resumed their activities. The defense assured that five people were injured in the Moscow region.
Moscow and its surrounding region, with a population of at least 21 millionis one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe, along with Istanbul.
For its part, Russia launched a record number of 145 drones overnight, according to Ukraine. Kyiv said its air defenses had shot down 62 of these drones. Ukraine also claimed to have attacked an arsenal in Russia’s Bryansk region, where 14 drones were reported to have been shot down in the region.
An unverified video was posted on Russian Telegram channels showing drones buzzing on the horizon.
Ukraine’s two-and-a-half-year war is entering what some officials see as its final act, as Moscow’s forces have advanced at a faster pace since the conflict’s early days and Donald Trump has been elected president. 47th President of the United States.
Trump, who took office in January, said during his campaign that he could bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours, but gave few details on how he would seek to do so.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Trump to congratulate him on his election victory, Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk joined the call, according to media reports. Musk owns EspaceXthat provided Starlink satellite communications services, essential to Ukraine’s defensive effort.
The Moscow “umbrella”
kyiv, which has been the target of repeated massive drone attacks by Russian forces, has sought to retaliate against its vast eastern neighbor with repeated attacks on oil refineriesairfields and even Russian strategic early warning radar stations.
While the 1,000 km (620 mile) front largely resembled the trench and artillery warfare of World War I for much of the conflict, one of the biggest innovations was drone warfare.
Moscow and Kyiv sought buy and develop new dronesdeployed in innovative ways and sought new ways to destroy them, from the use of farmers’ hunting rifles to advanced electronic jamming systems.
Russia has developed a series of electronic “umbrellas” over Moscow, with additional advanced internal layers above strategic buildings and a complex air defense network to shoot down drones before they reach the Kremlin, in the heart of the capital.
