MOSCOW UNDER A SWARM OF DRONES

On Sunday, Moscow experienced one of the largest air attacks since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, its forces shot down 1,110 Ukrainian drones in various regions of the country, Crimea, and the Black Sea. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 450 drones were intercepted as they were heading toward the capital and described the operation as an unprecedented attack on the city. AP News

The scale of the offensive became apparent at one of Moscow’s strategic locations. Several drones struck the capital’s oil refinery, and Reuters reported that its journalists heard explosions and saw plumes of smoke rising from the complex. The plant processed 11.6 million metric tons of oil in 2024 and is a key component of Russia’s fuel supply. Reuters

There were also consequences outside the industrial facilities. Authorities in the Moscow region initially reported two deaths and later confirmed that a third person died in the hospital as a result of their injuries. A residential building was hit, and about 400 people, including 70 children, were evacuated from a 21-story apartment building in the Ramenskoye district. Reuters

According to statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported by the Associated Press, Ukraine used various types of domestically produced drones and missiles and directed part of the offensive against oil and logistics infrastructure. Kyiv maintains that the attacks on the energy sector are intended to reduce the revenue that allows Russia to finance the war. AP News

The timing adds another dimension to the attack. The offensive took place on the final day of the Russian parliamentary elections—the first held since the war began with the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Sobyanin stated that one of the objectives was to interfere in the elections. That interpretation comes from Russian authorities; the scale and military objectives of the operation cannot be determined based solely on that statement. AP News

While Russia was under attack, Ukraine also remained under fire. Ukrainian authorities reported that a mother and her two three-year-old children were killed after a Russian drone struck a home in the Kyiv region. Another girl who was injured in a separate attack later died in the hospital. Reuters

This day illustrates just how much the geography of this war has changed. Long-range drones make it possible to attack infrastructure located hundreds of kilometers from the front lines and have turned energy facilities, depots, and logistics centers in the interior of both countries into viable targets.

What happened in Moscow on September 20 was not just another drone skirmish. Given the reported number of drones and the scope of the operation, it represents yet another demonstration of the scale that the aerial war between Russia and Ukraine is reaching. AP News