Ukraine targets Moscow region in huge drone attack

Ukraine has launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia since the start of the Kremlin’s invasion, according to Russian official.

Last weekend, a resident stands in a damaged flat of a multistorey residential building following a Russian drone strike on Kyiv. Picture: AFP

Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Russia since the start of the Kremlin’s invasion, Russian officials said on Wednesday.

Buildings were damaged in towns around Moscow, including at a scientific and manufacturing hub in Zelenograd, a town 50km from the Russian capital, videos circulating online appear to show. A drone-making facility is said to have been struck in Dubna, 100km from Moscow.

The barrage came shortly after President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to step up attacks on Russia. No deaths or injuries were reported. Russia launched its heaviest drone attacks of the war at the weekend against Ukraine, killing at least 18 people.

Russia’s defence ministry said 296 Ukrainian drones had been shot down. At least 42 were destroyed over the Moscow region, which surrounds the capital, according to Andrey Vorobyov, the governor. He posted photos of firefighters at wooden homes ablaze in Chekhov, a town 30km from Moscow.

More than 30 drones were destroyed by Russian air defences as they flew towards Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor, said.

Hours before the attack, Mr Zelensky said in an address to the nation: “In Russia, they must clearly feel the consequences of what they are doing against Ukraine. And this will happen. Attack drones, interceptors, cruise missiles, Ukrainian ballistic missiles – these are the key elements. We must produce everything (in Ukraine).”

He has also proposed a three-way meeting with presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. “If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don’t mind. I am ready for any format,” Mr Zelensky said.

He also urged Western countries to increase sanctions on Russia and said he hoped the war would be over by mid-2026.

Mr Zelensky was in Berlin on Wednesday night (AEST) for talks with Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor. Mr Merz, who has promised strong support for Ukraine, said this week that Britain, France, Germany and the US were no longer imposing restrictions on the range of weapons supplied to Kyiv.

Mr Zelensky also said Russia has amassed 50,000 troops on the border with the Sumy region in northern Ukraine.

The Times