Russia Massive Ukrainian drone attack hits Moscow

For the first time in almost two and a half years of war, Ukraine has caused serious damage in and around the Russian capital Moscow with a massive drone attack. In the south-east of the metropolis of Moscow, a hit caused a fire in the large Kapotnya refinery - just 16 kilometers from the Kremlin as the crow flies. According to Russian reports, a power plant south of Moscow and a power plant around 100 kilometers away in the Tver region were also hit.

The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that 158 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted at night over 15 different Russian regions. The figure cannot be independently verified, but it is the highest number reported so far for a Ukrainian drone attack. Debris from drones fell on the outskirts of Moscow, as Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported on Telegram.

The fighting in Ukraine continued with unchanged ferocity. According to the regional administration, at least four people were killed and eight injured by Russian rocket fire in the city of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region. The large city of Kharkiv was also bombed several times, with more than 30 people reportedly injured. "Russia is terrorizing Kharkiv again. Strikes on civilian infrastructure, simply on the city," wrote President Volodymyr Zelenskyi on the X network. According to their own statements, Russian troops continued to advance in fierce battles in the Donbass. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Olexander Syrskyi admitted that the Russians had superiority in soldiers and material on this part of the front.

Drone flies unhindered over Moscow

Until now, Ukrainian drone flights against Moscow have had more symbolic significance and caused hardly any damage. The drone's impact on the refinery was filmed by several people in the city of millions using cell phones. Afterwards, the device, which resembles a model airplane, flew on completely unhindered by the air defenses around Moscow, which were actually tightly deployed; only gunshots could be heard.

The fire at the oil facility was initially classified as the highest level of difficulty, as reported by the Russian state news agency Tass. It was then quickly reported that the fire had been contained. Unauthenticated videos on social networks also showed impacts at the Kashira power plant south of Moscow. In the Tver region, the administration announced that a fire had been caused by drones in the Konakovo district. This had been completely extinguished. Here too, videos showed that there was a fire at the large Konakovo power plant on the Volga.

The attacks appeared to be Ukraine's response to the large-scale destruction caused by Russia to its energy supply. In order to influence the public mood in Russia, Ukraine will increasingly attack critical infrastructure, wrote Polish security expert Konrad Muzyka on X. He expected a "larger and longer campaign targeting the Russian energy system".

Russian troops advance in the Donbass

During the ground fighting in Ukraine, the Russian military reported the capture of the village of Vyimka in the north of the Donbass near the Ukrainian-controlled city of Sivorsk. The Ukrainian General Staff reported nine Russian assault attacks on this section of the front since Saturday, including on Vyimka. However, they had been repelled, it said. Neither account could be independently verified. The Russian military also claimed territorial gains in the current main direction of attack on the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief: We are doing what we can

The Ukrainian commander-in-chief Olexander Syrskyj admitted on Telegram that the situation of his troops in the Donbass was difficult. "But all necessary decisions at all levels are being made without delay," he explained - presumably an indication that the allegedly inadequately prepared defence and retreat are also being criticized in Ukraine. "Despite the fact that the enemy has an advantage in terms of the number of weapons and people, it is suffering significant losses thanks to our soldiers. The battle for Ukraine continues," wrote Syrskyi.