Ukrainian drones struck high-rise apartment buildings and parking lots on the outskirts of Moscow early Tuesday in what both sides described as the largest drone assault on the Russian capital since the war began three years ago.
The Kremlin condemned the attack, which occurred just hours before high-level talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia. It also followed years of Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian cities.
Russian officials confirmed that three people were killed in the strikes.
Kyiv said the attack should push Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider halting long-range airstrikes, though Moscow has previously rejected such proposals.
Moscow’s “Most Massive” Drone Attack
Russia’s military reported intercepting 343 Ukrainian drones, though some crashed into “residential and economic infrastructure.” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it the “most massive enemy drone attack on Moscow.”
Images from the scene showed upper-floor damage to an apartment block, with shattered glass and debris scattered across the area.
The drones targeted several locations surrounding Moscow, including Ramenskoye, which hosts an air base, and an area near Domodedovo airport.
Residents in the affected areas described the terror of waking to explosions. “We were sleeping when an explosion happened. The children screamed,” said Yevgenia Bakatuyeva, a 38-year-old resident. “I opened the door, and all the neighbors rushed out. Somebody was covered in blood.”
Despite the scale of the attack, no air raid sirens were sounded in Moscow.
Truce in the Sky?
The attack temporarily shut down Moscow’s four main airports, and the Kremlin described it as a “terrorist attack.” Russia’s Investigative Committee has