Ukraine has launched one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow, according to Russian authorities, as fighting intensifies in the Kursk region of Russia. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that air defense forces shot down 11 drones over Moscow and its surrounding areas, with some of the drones being intercepted over the city of Podolsk, located approximately 38 kilometers south of the Kremlin. “This is one of the largest drone attacks on Moscow we have seen,” said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on the messaging app Telegram. No injuries or casualties were reported in connection with the attack, according to his earlier statement.
Drone attacks on Moscow are rare, and Ukraine’s latest attempt to strike the Russian capital appears to be larger than a previous attack in May 2023, where at least eight drones were shot down. Wednesday’s assault was part of a broader offensive against Russia, with the Ministry of Defense stating that their air defense units had destroyed a total of 45 Ukrainian drones overnight.
In addition to the 11 drones downed over the Moscow region, 23 drones were shot down in the border area of Bryansk, six in the Belgorod region, three in the Kaluga region, and two in the heavily affected Kursk region. Russia’s RIA state news agency also reported that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region.
After the attack on Moscow, temporary restrictions were imposed at the airports Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky; however, all three resumed normal operations later on Wednesday. Alex Gatopoulos, defense editor at Al Jazeera, reported from Kyiv and questioned what impact these attacks might have on Russian strategic thinking, given that Russian cities, particularly the capital, are well protected. “It remains to be seen whether this represents a strategic shift from Ukraine’s military command,” he said.
Ukraine’s drone attacks come as Russia struggles to repel Ukrainian forces from Kursk, two weeks after a surprising offensive on August 6. Ukraine claims to have now gained control over 1,263 square kilometers of Kursk territory, including 93 settlements.
Ukrainian forces also reported on Wednesday that they had struck an S-300 air defense missile system located in the Rostov region. Ukrainian drones had previously targeted an oil storage facility in Rostov, resulting in a massive fire that Russian firefighters are still battling.
Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and current deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, vowed on Wednesday that there would be no negotiations between the two countries until Ukraine is completely defeated. “The empty talk about mediators, which no one has designated, is over,” he stated on Telegram. “There will be no more negotiations until the enemy is utterly defeated.”