MOSCOW — Ukrainian drones struck the Moscow region overnight, killing at least three people in residential areas, Russian officials said on Sunday, in what authorities described as one of the largest such attacks on the capital region in more than a year.
Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov reported that a woman was killed when a drone hit a private house in Khimki, northwest of the capital. Two men died in the village of Pogorelki in the Mytishchi district when drone debris struck a building under construction, he said. Rescuers were searching for at least one person trapped under rubble.
Russian authorities said air defenses intercepted the majority of the incoming drones. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that more than 120 drones heading for the capital and its surroundings were shot down. Russia's Defense Ministry said 556 Ukrainian drones were downed across multiple regions overnight.
At least 12 people were injured in the Moscow area, including construction workers near an oil refinery, Sobyanin said. He added that the refinery's main technology was not damaged, though some infrastructure was affected. Several residential buildings sustained damage from falling debris.
The strikes followed recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities, including a strike on Kyiv earlier in the week that killed at least 24 people, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described such operations as retaliation.
Russian officials did not immediately provide a full breakdown of casualties across all targeted regions. Reports indicated additional deaths outside the Moscow area, with some sources citing a total of four killed nationwide, including one in Belgorod region. Details remained unclear.
The incident is part of an ongoing pattern of long-range drone strikes by Ukraine deep into Russian territory. Moscow has repeatedly condemned the attacks on civilian areas, while Kyiv has said it targets military and infrastructure sites.
As of Sunday afternoon, emergency services continued operations at impact sites in the Moscow region. Flights at Moscow airports were temporarily disrupted earlier but have since resumed, officials said. No immediate comment was available from Ukrainian authorities on the specific operation.
The death toll could rise as assessments continue, Vorobyov said.
