Moscow Under Largest Drone Attack Yet as Peace Talks Begin
Ukraine launched its largest drone attack yet against Moscow on Tuesday, targeting the Russian capital with a massive aerial assault on the same day peace talks were scheduled to begin in Saudi Arabia, according to Russian officials. The pre-dawn strikes came as both sides have intensified hostilities ahead of diplomatic efforts to find a path toward ending the three-year war.
Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the largest attack against the Russian capital since the war began, with Russian air defenses claiming to have intercepted over 70 drones flying toward the city. The Russian Ministry of Defense said it destroyed 91 drones in the Moscow region alone and a total of 337 Ukrainian drones across ten regions overnight, as reported by Metro.
The Ukrainian military stated it had targeted Moscow’s oil refinery, which provides more than a third of the fuel consumed in the capital region, along with an oil production station in the Orel region, according to The New York Times. Neither claim could be independently verified.
Major Disruption to Russian Capital
The attack caused significant disruption across Moscow. All four main airports—Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukova, and Zhukovsky—temporarily suspended operations, delaying and canceling flights. Railway tracks near Domodedovo airport south of Moscow were also damaged.
Russian authorities reported at least three people killed and 18 others injured in the broader Moscow region. Hundreds of residents were forced to evacuate their homes as explosions were heard across the capital, with some drones reportedly targeting high-rise residential buildings.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the attack. While praising Russian air defenses for doing “a great job,” Peskov warned that authorities “must remain on guard” as attacks would likely continue.
Attack Timed With Peace Talks
The timing of the assault appears strategic, coming just hours before high-level delegations from Ukraine and the United States were scheduled to meet in Saudi Arabia to discuss potential pathways toward ending the conflict. Ukrainian officials are expected to propose an immediate truce in the air during these talks.
“This is an additional signal to Putin that he should also be interested in a cease-fire from the air,” said Andriy Kovalenko, a senior Ukrainian official focused on Russian disinformation operations. “Not only the oil refinery, drones can fly en masse over Moscow.”
Ukraine has proposed that it would immediately stop long-range strikes into Russia if Moscow agreed to an equivalent halt—a plan supported by several European nations, including France. The proposal is envisioned as a first step in building trust ahead of broader discussions about the overall conflict.
In addition to a partial aerial truce, Ukraine was also expected to press for a halt to strikes on the Black Sea to gauge whether Moscow might be willing to take steps toward ending the fighting.
Russia Continues Strikes on Ukraine
While Moscow was under attack, Russia maintained its own bombardment of Ukrainian territory. Explosions echoed across Kyiv around midnight as air defense teams scrambled to intercept incoming threats. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had launched 126 drones and one ballistic missile, claiming it shot down or disabled most of them.
At least one person was killed when a Russian drone struck a warehouse in Kharkiv, and at least 17 others were injured in attacks across the country. Multiple fires were reported in the port city of Odesa after drone strikes.
These recent assaults are part of Russia’s intensified campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure. Nearly every night in recent weeks, Russia has launched over 100 drones at targets across Ukraine, often combining these with ballistic and cruise missiles to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.
Shifting Battle Dynamics
The escalation in aerial warfare comes amid changing dynamics on the ground. The Russian defense ministry claimed Tuesday that its forces had retaken more than 35 square miles of land in the Kursk region—territory that Ukrainian forces had occupied in a surprise incursion last year.
Ukraine had hoped to use its control of this Russian territory as leverage in negotiations, but recent developments may have changed that calculus. More than 125 Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted the Kursk region overnight as Kyiv dispatched reinforcements to the area.
Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrsky confirmed additional forces were being sent but rejected Russian claims that a large contingent of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk were at risk of encirclement. “A decision was made to reinforce our group with the necessary forces and resources, including electronic warfare and drones,” he said.
Meanwhile, there are indications that the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine has stalled. Russian forces have not advanced in over a week, and Ukrainian forces have engaged in limited counterattacks to regain small patches of land.
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
As military actions intensify, diplomatic channels remain active. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told US President Donald Trump he wanted the talks to have a “positive outcome” that would see military aid and intelligence-sharing resume when the pair spoke on Monday.
The US leader had paused the supply of weapons and crucial information for Ukraine’s war effort following a public disagreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Despite this suspension, Zelensky has stated that Ukraine plans to produce 30,000 long-range strike drones and 3,000 long-range missiles this year, building domestic arms-making capabilities.
Meanwhile, military chiefs from potential members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” are meeting in Paris, with around 30 countries possibly participating. UK Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin is attending before Defence Secretary John Healey meets counterparts from France, Germany, Italy, and Poland on Wednesday.
