Over 500 drones downed: 4 killed in Russia as Ukraine launches biggest attack in over a year

Ukraine launched one of its largest drone offensives of the war overnight, targeting multiple Russian regions including Moscow in a sweeping aerial assault that Russian authorities said involved more than 500 drones.The attack, described by officials as the biggest strike on the Russian capital region in more than a year, left at least four people dead and several others injured while damaging residential buildings and infrastructure facilities across different regions.Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 556 Ukrainian drones across more than a dozen regions during the overnight barrage, as explosions and emergency responses were reported around Moscow and western Russia.At least four people were killed in the attacks, according to regional authorities. Three deaths were reported in the Moscow region and one in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border.Moscow regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov said at least three people were killed in the attacks. According to Vorobyov, one woman died after a drone struck a private residential house, while another person remained trapped under the rubble for hours during rescue efforts. Two men were also reported dead in separate incidents linked to the strikes.“A woman was killed as a result of a UAV hitting a private house. One more person is trapped under rubble,” Vorobyov wrote on Telegram.He added that the attacks began in the early hours of the morning and forced Russian air defence units into continuous operations.“Since 3 o’clock in the morning, air defence forces have been repelling a large-scale UAV attack on the capital region,” he said, adding that at least four people were wounded and that several infrastructure facilities had been targeted during the barrage.Within Moscow itself, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defence systems intercepted at least 74 drones approaching the capital overnight, making it one of the heaviest drone attack nights faced by the city during the conflict. While Moscow and nearby regions have previously been targeted by Ukrainian drones, attacks directly affecting the Russian capital have remained comparatively rare.Sobyanin said 12 people sustained injuries in the broader Moscow region as debris from intercepted drones fell across different areas.“Minor damage has been recorded at the sites where debris fell,” the mayor posted on Telegram, while urging residents to follow emergency instructions.Russian authorities did not immediately disclose the full extent of infrastructure damage, but officials indicated that residential areas and strategic facilities were among the intended targets.The latest attacks came just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed intensified retaliatory operations following a major Russian strike on Kyiv that killed 24 people. Zelensky had warned that Moscow would face “consequences” for continued attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians.Moscow and Kyiv have exchanged intensified aerial strikes in recent days following the completion of a prisoner swap and the collapse of a temporary three-day truce that expired earlier this week.Ukraine has repeatedly defended its drone operations inside Russia, saying they are aimed at military infrastructure, logistics hubs and energy facilities supporting Moscow’s war effort. Russia, however, has accused Kyiv of deliberately targeting civilian areas and attempting to spread panic through attacks on populated regions.The conflict has increasingly evolved into a war of long-range missile and drone strikes, with both countries using unmanned systems on an unprecedented scale. Analysts say the growing sophistication and volume of drone attacks have forced both sides to invest heavily in layered air defence systems and electronic warfare capabilities.