Massive Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and surrounding region kills two, sets region’s largest oil depot ablaze

On Tuesday, Ukraine launched a massive drone attack on the Moscow region, killing one person and wounding six others in a village near the capital, according to Russian authorities. The attack involved 650 drones, with most being intercepted by air defenses at long range, including 105 that approached the capital. This marks the second-largest drone attack on Moscow in the past two years, as reported by Russian state news agency Tass.

Local officials have warned of increased long-range strikes targeting civilian and industrial infrastructure in both nations. Russia has been deploying newer jet-powered drones that move faster and are more difficult to intercept compared to traditional models, which are based on Iranian Shahed drones. Russia has hinted at plans to escalate strikes on infrastructure targets, including in Kyiv, as winter approaches.

Ukraine claims its long-range strikes have neutralized over half of Russia's oil refining capacity, hindering the country's ability to supply its military forces during the ongoing four-and-a-half-year conflict. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that recent strikes on refineries in cities like Moscow, Yaroslavl, Ust-Luga, Perm, Saratov, and Syzran have disabled 51% of Russia's oil refining capacity, though this claim cannot be independently verified.