[The Public=Reporter Yang Won-mo] Ukraine carried out a large-scale drone strike targeting Moscow in retaliation for a Russian airstrike on Kyiv, officials said, sharply escalating military tensions that had briefly eased after a Victory Day ceasefire.
On the 17th (local time), the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 556 Ukrainian drones across Russia overnight, including 81 over Moscow and the surrounding region.
The ministry said some drones fell in or near urban areas and critical infrastructure, killing four civilians nationwide and injuring dozens. Three of the fatalities occurred in Moscow, and one of those killed was an Indian national, the ministry added.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the city’s air defenses intercepted more than 120 drones bound for Moscow in the past 24 hours. He reported damage to high-rise apartment buildings and some infrastructure, and said workers at a construction site near a refinery were injured. Officials said refinery operations were not affected.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said its forces struck one refinery and two fuel-transfer facilities in Moscow on the same day, describing the targets as energy infrastructure with military value. The straight-line distance from Kyiv to Moscow is about 750 km. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian drones flew more than 500 km and penetrated Moscow’s air defenses.
The strikes followed Russia’s large-scale air attack on Kyiv on May 15, which killed 27 people. Zelensky said he would not let the assault go unanswered and ordered long-range drone strikes toward the Moscow region.
Russia struck back. On May 18, Zelensky said Moscow launched about 524 attack drones and 22 missiles at Ukraine, causing damage across eight regions and wounding dozens, including children. Russian strikes also hit the southern port city of Odesa; a China-owned ship bound for Odesa was reportedly struck by a Russian drone.
Since the brief Victory Day ceasefire ended earlier this month, both sides have exchanged large-scale strikes and counterstrikes. Ukraine has demonstrated long-range strike capability by directly targeting the Moscow region, while Russia has hit Ukrainian ports, energy sites and military facilities. Recent attacks on Kyiv, Moscow and Odesa show the conflict is extending to major cities well beyond the front lines.
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