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The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has seen the largest and most aggressive drone attack from Ukraine so far. The Ukrainian military simultaneously launched a volley of hundreds of long-range suicide and reconnaissance drones targeting Russia’s western, southern and central regions. According to the Russian Defense Ministry and local administrative officials, at least six Russian citizens have lost their lives in this unprecedented attack, while dozens have been injured. Air raid sirens continued to sound throughout the night from the capital Moscow to the Rostov region bordering Ukraine and Russian air defense systems remained continuously active.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued an official statement claiming that its air defense forces and electronic warfare units shot down or neutralized a total of 822 Ukrainian drones in the overnight operation. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that more than 600 drones were sent towards the Moscow region alone, of which more than 200 were destroyed in the outer security perimeter of the capital. Russian officials have described it as the biggest air attack on Moscow in the last two years, which has shaken the security system of the Russian capital.
E-commerce giant Wildberry’s 2 lakh square meter warehouse in Podolsk, Moscow destroyed
The biggest and visible damage of this drone attack was seen in the Podolsk industrial area, located just south of the capital Moscow. Here there was debris or a direct attack by Ukrainian drone on the huge distribution warehouse of ‘Wildberries’, Russia’s largest online retail and logistics company.
Immediately after the attack, a massive fire broke out in this huge warehouse complex spread over approximately 2,00,000 (two lakh) square meters. The flames were visible from several kilometers away and thick black smoke billowed into the sky. Hundreds of firefighters and helicopters from the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) had to work for hours to bring the fire under control. Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed that an 83-year-old civilian was killed in the attack when a drone fell on a private house, while goods worth billions of rubles in a warehouse were completely destroyed.
5 people killed and huge damage to the railway station in the Rostov region
The most lethal effect of this attack was seen in the south-western Rostov region of Russia, bordering Ukraine. According to Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar, more than 150 drones were attacked targeting three different cities in the region.
Key points of the attacks in Rostov:
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Civilian casualties: Due to drone debris falling on residential settlements and explosions, 5 innocent civilians died on the spot and more than 9 people were seriously injured.
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Railway infrastructure destroyed: A drone strike at a major railway station and a freight train junction caused massive damage to the signaling system and tracks, disrupting rail traffic for several hours.
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Forest fire: After the attack, fire broke out in dry forests spread across the rural areas, which had to be extinguished by special disaster teams.
Ukraine’s new strategy: a direct hit on the Russian economy and logistics backbone
Military and defense analysts believe that Ukraine has made a major change in its war strategy. Over the past few months, Ukraine has increased the range of its indigenous long-range drones to 1,500 miles (about 2,400 kilometers). On this basis, Kiev is now targeting oil refineries, weapons depots and large logistics hubs of civilian use located directly inside Russia, beyond the frontline fronts.
Ukraine’s aim in targeting warehouses of companies like Wildberry is to disrupt Russian supply chains, inflict economic damage on the domestic economy, and increase the psychological pressure of war on ordinary Russian citizens. Within the last one month, Ukraine has attacked about 20 major warehouses and storage depots of this type.
Russia’s counterattack: Missiles fired in Kiev, Kryvyi Rih and Sumy of Ukraine
In response to this massive drone attack on Moscow and other areas, the Russian military also launched a series of fresh missile and drone attacks on major cities of Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed it hit several military targets with precision, including a large metallurgical plant in the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine and Ukraine’s ‘Flamingo’ missile manufacturing center in the capital Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two people were killed and 14 injured in a Russian missile strike in Kryvyi Rih. There were also casualties due to Russian attacks in Sumy and Zaporizhia regions. A massive fire broke out in the famous Petrovka Book Market located in the Obolonsky district of the capital Kiev, causing huge damage.
Tension on NATO border: Spanish fighter plane shoots down drone in Romanian airspace
The heat of this fierce conflict between Russia and Ukraine has now reached the borders of NATO member countries as well. During the attack, a suspected Russian drone strayed into Romanian airspace. Spain’s F-18 fighter plane, deployed under NATO’s Black Sea Air Policing Mission, immediately took off in the early morning and shot down the drone near the Romanian border.
NATO’s military spokesperson confirmed the incident and said that the alliance is fully prepared to protect its borders. Neighboring countries like Finland and Poland have also imposed temporary restrictions on flights in some of their airspace as a precaution.
Conclusion: New and dangerous phase of drone warfare in more than four years long war
Ukraine’s biggest drone attack inside Russia is a strong indication that the war has now reached a devastating level of ‘drone warfare’ for both sides. While Russia is putting pressure on Ukrainian infrastructure with its hypersonic and ballistic missiles, Ukraine is exposing the vulnerabilities of Russian air defenses with cheap and swarming long-range drones. Such intense attacks have further diminished the prospects of diplomatic dialogue between the two countries, and this bloody series of retaliatory air strikes from both sides is expected to intensify in the coming days.