Nearly 600 Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Regions Overnight

President Zelensky says strikes are retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Ukraine

One of Ukraine’s largest drone attacks since the start of the war struck several Russian regions overnight, killing at least four people and injuring more than a dozen others, according to Russian authorities.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said nearly 600 Ukrainian drones targeted 14 regions across the country, as well as the Crimean Peninsula and areas over the Black and Azov seas. Officials said the Moscow region was among the hardest-hit areas during the overnight assault.

Authorities reported that three people were killed in the Moscow region, while another person died in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border. At least 12 others were wounded in the attacks.

Russian air defence systems intercepted 556 drones overnight and neutralised an additional 30 after dawn, the ministry added.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strikes, stating that some drones travelled more than 500 kilometres from Ukrainian territory and successfully penetrated Russian air defence systems around Moscow.

“Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified,” Zelenskyy said, adding that the attacks were intended to send a clear message to Russia over the continuation of the conflict.

The Ukrainian president also noted that Kyiv would intensify drone operations following a recent large-scale Russian assault across Ukraine that reportedly killed more than 20 people and injured around 50 others over three days.

Russia has repeatedly carried out missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, since the war began more than four years ago. The latest escalation highlights the growing reach and intensity of drone warfare on both sides of the conflict.