Ukraine launched more than 400 drones toward Moscow overnight in one of its largest attacks on the Russian capital, Russian officials said Monday, as both sides continued exchanging large-scale air strikes with no sign of the war easing.
The drone attack came just hours after Russia launched ballistic missiles and drones at Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, continuing the cycle of retaliatory attacks that has marked the conflict, now in its fifth year.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is facing growing political pressure at home following last week's government reshuffle, which triggered protests and exposed divisions within the country's military leadership.
Zelenskyy said he would hold "key talks" on Monday as he seeks to ease tensions after replacing 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov as defence minister while keeping Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, 60, as commander of Ukraine's armed forces.
The decision sparked several days of protests by supporters of Fedorov, who criticized Zelenskyy's move.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 400 Ukrainian drones were launched toward the Russian capital between late Sunday and early Monday. He said most were intercepted far from the city, while air defence systems shot down another 85 drones near Moscow.
Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said 10 people were injured and several residential buildings and civilian facilities were damaged.
The attack also caused a fire at the Yuzhnye Vrata industrial park, about 30 kilometres south of Moscow, according to local officials.
Independent Russian news outlet Astra reported that an oil depot in Podolsk, south of Moscow, also caught fire during the attack, although Russian authorities did not immediately confirm the report.
Ukraine has significantly expanded its long-range drone capabilities during the war, increasingly targeting Russian oil facilities and other strategic infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Earlier this year, Russia's Defence Ministry said it had intercepted 1,054 Ukrainian drones within a 24-hour period.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to urge its Western allies to provide more advanced air defence systems capable of intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, which are more difficult to shoot down than drones or cruise missiles.
Russia has increased its use of ballistic missiles in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials said a missile and drone attack on Sunday killed at least six people and injured dozens more.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia has launched more ballistic missiles this month than it is believed to produce monthly, suggesting Moscow is drawing from its existing stockpiles to sustain the intensified attacks.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck fuel storage facilities in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa overnight.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched two missiles and 94 long-range drones overnight. It said Ukrainian air defences intercepted or electronically jammed 81 drones, while one missile and nine drones struck targets at nine locations, causing damage.