Moscow Faces Record Drone Assault

Thu Jun 18 2026 13:15:03 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Moscow hit by nearly 200 drones in the biggest Ukrainian strike since war began, causing smoke, injuries and flight chaos.

In a spectacular show of force, Ukrainian forces launched almost 200 drones toward Moscow, marking the largest attack on Russia’s capital since the 2022 invasion began. The assault sent thick columns of smoke swirling above the city, wounded at least seventeen people and damaged industrial sites, including the Kapotnya oil refinery. Despite Russia’s air‑defence, many drones breached the shield, underscoring Ukraine’s expanding reach. Kyiv’s President Volodymyr Zelensky framed the attack as retaliation for a Russian strike that ignited a historic church. Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to comment amid international diplomatic engagements.

Nearly 200 UAVs launched from Ukrainian territory plunged into Moscow’s skies, creating a dramatic gray‑smoke curtain that blanketed the capital’s skyline. The assault registered as the biggest attack on Russia’s public‑analysis since the full‑scale war started in early 2022.

Officials reported seventeen injuries in the Moscow region and the destruction of a large oil storage tank at the Kapotnya refinery. Footage shows the tank’s lid being swept inches into the air, while a nearby shopping centre caught fire after drone wreckage fell nearby. The noise of ascending drones, combined with emergency sirens, made the day feel like a live thriller.

Russian air‑defence systems reported intercepting almost 1,000 drones and four cruise missiles across the country in the first 24 hours of the assault. The defence ministry also confirmed a strike on a fuel depot in Rostov, leaving one fatality in the southern region.

Why the rockets arrived

Zelensky called the waves of long‑range strikes “long‑distance sanctions,” a euphemistic jab at Russian targets. He praised the attack as a reply to a Russian bombing that set a historic church ablaze in Kyiv last week. “It’s time to end this war,” he said, urging Russian diplomacy to address the conflict.

The constant pressure from Ukraine reflects a strategy to bring the war to Russian soil, intensifying public anxiety. Despite Russia’s formidable air‑defence net around Moscow, the growing number and sophistication of Ukrainian drones have proved difficult to neutralise.

This escalation comes as Vladimir Putin is hosting Southeast Asian leaders in Kazan. No official comment about the massive strike has yet appeared from the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are pumping out strong messages on X, asking citizens: “What is going on? Tell us when you plan to end it.”