Ukraine Fires Over 1,000 Drones at Russia in ‘Largest Ever’ Attack on Moscow

Ukraine launched a large-scale drone assault on Russia overnight, with Russian authorities reporting that more than 1,000 drones were intercepted across the country and hundreds were directed towards Moscow.

The attack came on Sunday, September 20, as Russia held the final day of its first wartime parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the assault as an “unprecedented” attack on the Russian capital, saying about 450 drones had been intercepted while heading towards Moscow. Russian authorities said the barrage damaged part of the Moscow oil refinery and a residential building.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences had shot down about 1,100 Ukrainian drones across Russia, Crimea and the Black Sea. Moscow officials later reported that the wider attack involved more than 1,600 drones intercepted since Saturday, although those figures could not be independently verified.

Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said at least three people had died in the wider Moscow-region attacks, with 20 others injured.

Among the reported incidents was a drone strike that damaged a residential building and prompted the evacuation of about 400 people, including 70 children, from a 21-storey apartment block in the Ramenskoye district.

A separate residential building in the Moscow-region village of Sofyino was also damaged, with reports of shattered windows and other structural damage.
The Moscow oil refinery, one of Russia’s major fuel-processing facilities, was also hit. Sobyanin said a facility on the refinery’s premises was damaged, although authorities did not immediately provide details on the extent of the damage. Reuters reported that witnesses in Moscow saw smoke rising from the refinery following the attack.

Attack coincides with Russian elections
The timing of the assault was particularly significant because it occurred on the final day of Russia’s three-day parliamentary election.

Sobyanin accused Ukraine of deliberately seeking to disrupt the vote, saying the attack had been planned for that purpose. Russian authorities nevertheless said voting continued.

Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for the entire drone barrage. However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian long-range strikes had hit a major Russian oil-industry facility and a logistics facility in the Moscow region.
Zelenskyy said the strikes were intended to put pressure on infrastructure that generates revenue for Russia’s war effort.

Russia and Ukraine continue attacks on energy infrastructure
The latest assault is part of an intensifying campaign of long-range drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian attacks have increasingly focused on Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure, while Russia has continued launching drones and missiles against targets across Ukraine.

The Moscow refinery has previously been targeted in Ukrainian strikes. Reuters reported that the facility processed 11.6 million metric tonnes of crude oil in 2024 and produced significant quantities of gasoline and diesel.

The attacks have also raised concerns over fuel supplies inside Russia, with Reuters reporting that repeated strikes on refining capacity have contributed to fuel shortages, higher prices and queues at filling stations in some regions.

The latest attack also followed a statement by US President Donald Trump that Russia and Ukraine had agreed not to target each other’s energy infrastructure. Despite that announcement, attacks on energy facilities have continued.

Ukraine also came under attack
While the Russian capital and surrounding region were being targeted, Ukraine was also hit by Russian drone attacks.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian strikes around Kyiv killed four people, including a woman and her two young children. Another girl reportedly died in hospital after being injured in a separate attack.

The continuing attacks underline the escalation in long-range warfare between the two countries, even as diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict continue.