Ukrainian forces launched 620 drones toward the Moscow region overnight, marking one of the largest drone attacks on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russian officials reported that air defenses intercepted 180 drones, while three civilians were wounded, including a 10-year-old girl. A house fire and damage to energy facilities were also reported in the Pavlovsky Posad district.
Russian missile strike kills 10 in Kharkiv village
In a separate incident, a Russian missile strike on a village in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed at least 10 people and wounded eight others, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack destroyed homes in the village of Pechenihy, as the warring nations escalate long-range aerial strikes amid frozen frontline fighting.
Ukraine’s drone strategy and Russian responses
Ukraine has increasingly deployed domestically produced long-range drones to strike deep inside Russia, aiming to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiating a peace settlement. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated on social media that Putin continues to prolong the war despite Ukraine’s ceasefire proposals. Meanwhile, Russian officials condemned Western support for Ukraine, with Moscow alleging that British armaments were used in the drone attacks.
Russian air defenses intercepted 791 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions, including annexed Crimea and the Black and Azov seas, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that 180 drones were destroyed over the capital region, while regional governor Andrey Vorobyov reported damage to a logistics site belonging to the Wildberries online retailer.
Escalation in long-range strikes
Analysts note that fighting along the 1,250-kilometer front line has slowed due to widespread drone and ground robot deployments, which threaten troop movements. Both sides have intensified long-distance attacks, pushing civilian casualties to their highest levels since early 2022. Ukrainian officials have framed these strikes as a means to demonstrate the war’s consequences to the Russian public, while Russia has framed them as provocations tied to Western military aid.