Key Points and Summary – A Ukrainian drone attack targeted Moscow early Sunday, forcing two of the capital’s busiest airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo, to temporarily halt all flights.
-Moscow’s mayor claimed nine drones were intercepted over the city, while a related swarm hit the Tula and Kaluga regions, injuring two and setting a chemical plant ablaze.
Iran’s Drones That Russia Is Using. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-The attack is part of Kyiv’s ongoing strategy to use long-range drones to sabotage Russia’s war machine deep inside its own territory, applying pressure as both sides ramp up strikes ahead of potential peace talks.
Ukraine Drone Attack Forces Moscow Airport Closures
Two of Moscow’s busiest airports temporarily halted flights on Sunday following a Ukrainian drone attack, local officials alleged.
The Russian capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, claimed that Russian air defences had intercepted nine drones aimed at the city around 4 a.m. GMT on Sunday morning.
No significant casualties or damage were reported. “All emergency services are working at the scene,” Sobyanin announced via Telegram.
Russia’s official aviation body, Rosaviatsia, said Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports, which handle tens of thousands of passengers a day, had suspended flights for safety reasons.
A swarm of Ukrainian drones also hit the Tula and Kaluga regions to Moscow’s south overnight.
Drone debris reportedly set part of the Azot chemical plant ablaze briefly, with two people being injured. Officials also claimed that seven additional drones had been shot down above Kaluga.
While Kyiv rarely issues public remarks on its reports on attacks behind Russian borders, it has increasingly been using long-range drones to strike fuel depots, military areas, and industrial zones deep within Russia. The purpose of this campaign is to sabotage Russia’s war machine and undermine its assumption of security.
Indeed, both warring countries are ramping-up their long-range strikes even as reports emerge that both could soon return to the negotiating table. Both governments will obviously be aiming to achieve an upper hand in any talks.
Each time a Ukrainian drone attack is successful or nearly so, the Kremlin must shell out for pricey air interceptions, or risk chipping away at the delicately cultivated image of security it aims to project at home and abroad.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 upended Ukrainian politics and national life, but it has been far less successful than Moscow may first have imagined. The conflict is now a grinding one, costly to both lives and Moscow’s finances. Sanctions have left Russia relying heavily on fossil fuel sales to Asia to prop up its economy. Russia’s forces have not taken any major territories since the first year of the conflict.
Kyiv may be fatigued by Moscow’s steady stream of drone and missile attacks, but it is not willing to kowtow to Vladimir Putin’s maximalist demands for territory. The Ukrainian constitution even formally bans its political leaders from ceding sovereign territory to another state.
Whether or not Ukraine can fully push back Russia’s control in its eastern oblasts, it can clearly use cheap, stealthy drones to cause havoc behind enemy lines.
In the age of drone warfare, there is no guarantee that the bigger, richer belligerent will get its own way.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education. You can follow her on X: @llggeorgia.
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