Ukraine sent more than 400 drones toward the Russian capital overnight, Moscow’s mayor announced Monday, in one of the most significant drone offensives against the city since the war began.
The massive strike came just hours after Russian forces pounded Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles — the latest exchange in an ongoing cycle of retaliatory attacks that makes any prospect of a peace agreement seem increasingly remote, given that Russia’s full-scale invasion has now stretched past four years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he planned to hold “key talks” as he works to manage a growing political crisis at home. The turmoil was triggered by a recent reshuffling of his government, which revealed a sharp divide between veteran military commanders and a younger generation of innovators over the best strategy for fighting the war.
At the center of the controversy is Zelenskyy’s decision to remove 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov from his role as defense minister while retaining 60-year-old Soviet-trained Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as the head of Ukraine’s armed forces. Zelenskyy now faces the challenge of convincing Ukrainians that those choices will not weaken the country’s war effort.
The decision sparked days of street demonstrations, with protesters voicing support for Fedorov and opposition to Syrskyi.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that the drone barrage began late Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday morning. He said the majority of the drones were shot down well before reaching the city, with 85 intercepted in the immediate vicinity of Moscow.
Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, said 10 people sustained injuries in the attack. He also reported damage to several residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.
According to Yevgeniya Khrustaleva, who heads the Domodedovo district of the Moscow region, the assault ignited a fire at the Yuzhnye Vrata industrial park, located roughly 30 kilometers — about 18 miles — south of Moscow.
The Astra news outlet reported that a fire broke out at an oil storage facility in Podolsk, approximately 20 kilometers, or 12 miles, south of Moscow, though Russian officials have not confirmed that report.
Ukraine’s drone capabilities have advanced rapidly throughout the conflict, creating a significant challenge for Russia, whose vast territory is difficult to fully defend. Ukrainian forces have made a point of targeting Russian oil infrastructure in particular, causing fuel supply disruptions and putting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For context, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported in May that its air defense systems shot down 1,054 Ukrainian drones within a single 24-hour period.
While Ukraine continues to appeal to its international allies for advanced air defense systems capable of stopping ballistic missiles — which are far more difficult to intercept than drones or cruise missiles — Russian forces have been exploiting gaps in Ukraine’s defensive capabilities.
Russia has sharply increased its use of ballistic missiles in recent weeks. A Sunday bombardment using those weapons killed at least six people and wounded dozens more, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, noted late Sunday that “Russian forces have launched more ballistic missiles against Ukraine thus far in July than Russia reportedly produces each month.”
The organization added that “Russia appears to be dipping into its stockpiles to continue increasing the number of ballistic missiles it launches against Ukraine, as these missiles have a higher success rate than drones and cruise missiles.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that overnight strikes targeted fuel storage tanks at the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched two missiles and 94 long-range drones at Ukrainian territory overnight. Of those, 81 drones were either jammed or shot down, while nine drones and one missile struck nine separate locations, causing damage.
