Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks against Russia overnight, sending more than 400 drones toward Moscow and launching missile strikes on the Belgorod region, Russian officials said Tuesday.The attacks came just hours after a deadly Russian missile and drone attack killed dozens in Ukraine and on the eve of a major NATO summit in Turkey.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 430 Ukrainian drones were launched toward the Moscow region between Sunday evening and Tuesday morning. “Most were neutralized by air defense forces on the distant approaches. Thirty-six enemy UAVs were destroyed on the approaches to Moscow,” he wrote on the state-backed MAX platform, according to news agency AFP.Russian officials later reported that about 14 drones were intercepted near the capital, with emergency teams deployed to the sites where drone debris had fallen.There were no immediate reports of any casualties or major damage in Moscow.
Attack in Belgorod, civilian killed
Ukraine also attacked Russia’s Belgorod region, where acting governor Aleksandr Shuvaev said several missile strikes targeted the city of Belgorod and surrounding areas.The first missile strike killed a civilian in the village of Belovskoye, while the strikes also caused a fire at an infrastructure facility in the city of Belgorod.
The attacks follow a deadly Russian attack
The Ukrainian drone attack came after Russia launched one of its largest combined missile and drone attacks on Ukraine early Monday.According to Reuters, the Russian attacks killed at least 30 people, 11 of them in Kiev, and injured dozens of others.Residential buildings in Kiev were heavily damaged as emergency teams searched for survivors trapped under debris.Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 68 missiles and 351 drones during the overnight attack.While Ukrainian forces intercepted most of the cruise missiles and drones, officials said no ballistic missiles were intercepted due to the lack of Patriot interceptor missiles.
Zelensky renews Patriot appeal
Ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again appealed for stronger Western air defense support.Zelensky said, “It is extremely important that the world – first of all the United States and our European partners – come out of the NATO summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense.”Zelensky urged the United States to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems under license.He said, “We have long claimed that we are capable of producing such defensive weapons ourselves. If Ukraine were granted American licenses to produce Patriots, our own production would be sufficient to defend Ukraine and help partners in need.”Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had successfully intercepted all six Kalibr cruise missiles and 31 of the 33 cruise missiles launched overnight, but stressed that the lack of Patriot interceptors remains the main weakness against Russian ballistic missile attacks.
NATO summit will focus on Ukraine
The increase comes as NATO leaders prepare to meet in Ankara, where the war in Ukraine is expected to be discussed.Zelensky is expected to meet US President Donald Trump during the summit, before Trump will hold separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Washington attempts to revive stalled peace efforts.NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the allies would discuss strengthening the alliance’s deterrence capability, boosting defense production and ensuring continued military assistance to Ukraine.Russia and Ukraine have sharply stepped up long-range attacks in recent months, with both sides targeting areas far from the battlefield as the war enters its fifth year.