Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia over the weekend, just days after Russian forces targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with over 200 drones and missiles. According to the Russian defense ministry, nearly 158 Ukrainian drones were intercepted and destroyed overnight, making this one of the largest drone attacks since the Ukraine war began in February 2022, as reported by the Associated Press.
The intercepted drones included two over Moscow and nine over surrounding areas. In the Kursk region, where Ukraine attempted one of the largest incursions into Russian territory since World War II, 46 drones were neutralized. Additionally, 34 drones were shot down over Bryansk, 28 over Voronezh, and 14 over Belgorod. Drones were also downed in Kaluga, Lipetsk, Ryazan, and other regions.
Damage from the drone strikes included minor impacts on a coal-fired thermal power plant and an oil refinery in Moscow’s Kapotnya district. A local official confirmed that three drones targeted the Kashira coal-fired power station, but there were no casualties or significant damage, and electricity supply remained unaffected. The targeted oil refinery, located southeast of Moscow, is owned by Gazprom Neft, a subsidiary of the state-controlled gas giant Gazprom, which declined to comment on the incident.
Ukraine also attempted to strike the Kashira power plant in Moscow; however, Mikhail Shuvalov, head of the Kashira city district, reported no fire, damage, or casualties.
Moscow’s regional governor, Aleksandr Bogomaz, stated that Russian forces are actively repelling what he described as a “massive UAV attack” on the Bryansk region. In the Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported minor damage to three residential buildings and the collapse of a utility building.
This recent drone attack by Ukraine follows Russia’s massive assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and comes a month after Ukraine launched an offensive into Russia’s Kursk region.