Ukraine launches huge drone raid on Moscow region; Russia hits back
Moscow's mayor said 650 drones flew toward the Moscow region overnight, and the regional governor said two people were killed in one of the biggest Ukrainian drone attacks on the area. Russia fired 137 drones at Ukraine, with hits at 17 sites. At least five people were hurt in Zaporizhzhia.
Russia and Ukraine traded large drone attacks overnight into Tuesday. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 650 drones flew toward the Moscow region between 8:30 p.m. Monday and 5 a.m. Tuesday local time. He said 105 were destroyed as they neared the capital, and 29 more were shot down later.
Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, called it one of the largest drone attacks of its kind. He said 185 drones were downed over 16 towns and districts. Two people died, one of them a 20-year-old man in the village of Radumlya and another in Barybino. Nine were hurt and 47 homes were damaged, he said. A drone crashed into a retail warehouse roof in Litvinovo and set it on fire, Reuters reported. People were also hurt in the Smolensk and Bryansk regions.
Ukraine took its own hits. Its Air Force said Russia launched 137 drones and drone-missiles, including 49 jet-powered Shaheds, plus decoys. Air defenses downed or jammed 114 by 8 a.m. Strikes landed at 17 locations, and falling debris hit four more. The Air Force warned the attack was still going on.
In Zaporizhzhia, at least five people were hurt. The New Voice of Ukraine reports a bridge over the Dnipro River was struck and closed to traffic, and two of the wounded were Red Cross workers. Anadolu Agency reports a strike on an apartment building there, where rescuers pulled 11 people out. In Kyiv, drone debris set a school building's roof on fire, with no injuries. A business was damaged in Odesa.
Neither side has commented on the other's claims, and they are hard to check during the war. Both deny aiming at civilians. The fighting has gone on since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
What we know: Two people died near Moscow, and Russia's barrage hit 17 places in Ukraine.
What we don't: How many drones truly reached the Moscow region, and the full toll in Ukraine.
Where outlets agree Anadolu Agency and Reuters, carried by A News, both report the Moscow region governor said two people were killed in the overnight drone attack.
Where they differ Moscow's mayor counted 650 drones heading for the region, a number Ukraine has not addressed and that no one has independently confirmed.