In the last 24 hours, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks against Moscow, with more than 430 drones taking part in the operation.
This comes after Zelensky vowed to retaliate against the most recent Russian drone/missile attack against Kyiv.
Tu-160M Bomber Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
According to initial reports, most, if not all, of the drones were intercepted by air defense systems, and no damage/impacts were recorded.
In other regions of Russia, however, Ukraine continues to strike oil refineries and other targets, especially in Crimea, where Ukrainian drones seem to have free rein.
Russia and Ukraine have recently been trading blows with each other as both sides ramp up their long-range strike campaigns, hoping to force the other side to capitulate first.
The Largest Drone Attack on Moscow to Date
According to Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, Ukraine launched one of its most massive attacks against the Russian capital and the surrounding regions, with more than 430 drones taking part in the operation.
“From evening to 6 am, more than 430 drones flew in the direction of the Moscow region. Most of them were neutralized by air defenses at long range.
36 enemy UAVs were destroyed on approach to Moscow,” the Mayor said on his Telegram channel. Russian news outlets reported that this was the largest attack on Moscow since 2024.
The state news outlet also admitted that Ukrainian drone attacks have ramped up in frequency since the start of 2026.
The attack came after Russia’s most recent missile/drone attack against Ukraine, which utilized more than 500 attack drones and more than 70 missiles.
Tu-160M Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Russian Military/Creative Commons.
Ukrainian President Zelensky vowed to continue his attacks against Moscow and other areas of Russia.
“When not one hundred drones but a thousand start reaching Moscow… that will be a moment that opens a new chapter on the path toward ending the war. The farther Putin is from Moscow, the closer the end of the war and peace will be,” Zelensky said on social media.
According to preliminary reports, no damage or impacts were reported in the Moscow region, which seems to suggest that Russian air defenses in Moscow have improved since the last drone attack against the region.
A Rough Night for Russia
Other regions of Russia were not so lucky. Crimea was hit hard last night, with multiple Ukrainian drones striking energy infrastructure, oil refineries, and other sensitive targets like air defense sites in the region.
Other regions on the border of Ukraine, like Kursk and Belgorod, were targeted by rocket artillery and drones, which also hit energy infrastructure in the region.
Crucially, Ukraine managed to hit the oil refinery at Omsk, which is over 2,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Either the drones exploited a gap in Russia’s air defenses, or they were somehow launched from inside Kazakhstan, which is only a few hundred kilometers from the refinery.
To add insult to injury, Ukraine managed to strike 10 ships in the Sea of Azov, including 8 oil tankers, 1 dry cargo ship, and 1 ferry.
The ships, as seen on the footage released by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were notably lacking in any escorts or defensive measures despite their close proximity to a war zone.
What we are seeing in the war in Ukraine right now is the disappearance of the “back line.”
In the past four years of the war, Russia enjoyed relative safety from Ukrainian attacks as the Ukrainians lacked any meaningful long-range capabilities.
In the last year, however, Kyiv has built up its inventory of long-range attack drones and exploited gaps in Russia’s air defense network.
Now, targets that were once safe from attacks are currently in danger. As some Russian milbloggers are now realizing, there is currently nowhere safe from Ukrainian attacks.
The situation is further exacerbated by Ukraine’s asymmetric tactics. Flying a drone from Ukraine to St. Petersburg or Omsk without getting intercepted is difficult, nearly impossible to manage.
Adjusting to the Drone Age
To their credit, the Russians have often proven to be just as resourceful and adaptive as their Ukrainian adversaries.
Initially rocked by Western-made missiles and weaponry, the Russians have consistently adapted to new threats.
Interception rates against Storm Shadow and HIMARS have increased as the war has gone on, and they have managed to find a way to jam American JDAM guided bombs.
Now the Russians find themselves dealing with the monster that is Ukraine’s drone forces.
As the attack on Moscow has demonstrated, the Russians are capable of fighting off massive drone attacks with relative ease; however, many holes in their defenses still exist.
If Russia does not boost its defenses further, Ukrainian drone attacks will only reach deeper, and the mounting economic pressures will only increase.
That being said, Ukraine still has an uphill battle to fight. As the Russians themselves have learned, it takes a lot more than air strikes to bring a country to its knees.
Russia has been striking every region in Ukraine for the past four years, continually, and is not any closer to forcing a capitulation.
Despite Ukraine’s advances in long-range strike capabilities, it, too, faces a similar problem. Russia is a massive country, with vastly more resources than Ukraine.
Even if Ukraine managed to strike every refinery on Russian soil, this would not be nearly enough to bring the country to its knees. Oil refineries and energy infrastructure can be repaired; manpower cannot, and that is the one area where Ukraine is at a definite disadvantage.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
