Moscow Under Ukrainian Drone Attack, Airports Closed, Buildings on Fire

A large-scale drone attack targeted Moscow and the surrounding region early Tuesday, causing fires, damaging buildings, and disrupting major airports.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed the strike, calling it the largest Ukrainian drone assault on the Russian capital since the war began. The attack, which started around 3 a.m. local time, led to explosions and fires across several areas, with eyewitnesses reporting drones flying over the city and heavy blasts.

Russia’s air defense forces, including Pantsir-S1 systems and electronic warfare (EW) units, engaged the drones. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 337 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were intercepted overnight, including 91 over Moscow and 126 over the Kursk region.

Authorities confirmed one person was killed and three injured in the Leninsky city district and Domodedovo area. Drone debris hit an apartment building in Ramenskoye, damaging at least seven apartments. Another drone exploded near a residential complex in Vidne, causing structural damage. Falling debris was also reported in Chornogolovka and other areas of the Moscow region.

Flights at Moscow’s Zhukovsky and Domodedovo airports were suspended temporarily. Russian aviation authorities also halted operations at two airports outside Moscow, in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions. Train services near Domodedovo station were also disrupted but resumed later in the morning.

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a terrorism case in response to the attack. Despite the large-scale strike, Moscow’s central areas remained calm, with no reports of panic during rush hour.

The attack coincides with ongoing U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia, where Ukrainian officials are meeting American diplomats to discuss potential peace negotiations.