Ukraine hits Moscow with largest-ever drone attack
Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone attack on Moscow, with Russian air defenses intercepting dozens of drones over the capital and surrounding region. The attack caused temporary closures at major airports and marked a significant escalation in Kyiv's strikes deep inside Russian territory.
Background
- This article reports that Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone strike on Moscow and the surrounding region. Such attacks have become more frequent in 2024-2025 as Ukraine develops its own long-range drone生产能力 to strike deep inside Russian territory, bypassing Western restrictions on using donated missiles for strikes on Russia.
- The Kremlin has repeatedly used such strikes to justify expanding its air-defense networks around the capital and to call for greater war mobilization. For readers unfamiliar: Moscow is roughly 500 km (310 miles) from the Ukraine border — distance that requires sophisticated drones, not simple quadcopters.
- The attack comes amid ongoing Western debate about whether to loosen restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range weapons against legitimate military targets inside Russia, and against the backdrop of possible ceasefire negotiations.
- Key background: Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, Ukraine has shifted from defending its own cities to occasionally striking Russian energy, military, and industrial sites, while Russia continues daily missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.