Ukrainian Drone Attack on Moscow Suburb Claims Civilian Life
A Ukrainian drone attack on central Russia has resulted in the death of a woman in a Moscow suburb, marking the first publicly acknowledged civilian casualty in the Russian capital, according to local officials.
Russia’s defense ministry reported that its forces had intercepted 144 drones across nine regions in one of Kyiv’s largest cross-border raids in recent months. Despite the scale of the attack, local authorities in the Moscow region did not issue an air raid alert, prompting criticism on social media over the failure to provide warnings for civilians.
One of the drones struck a residential building in the Ramensky suburb, located about 31 miles southeast of the Kremlin, damaging 54 of the 102 apartments in the multi-storey block. Moscow regional mayor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed that a 46-year-old woman was killed in the strike, with four others injured.
Footage shared on social media appeared to capture the moment of impact, showing a massive explosion lighting up the night sky. Russian state media reported that the damage was caused by fragments from the intercepted drone. "There was wreckage of the drone left on the ground, which needs to be cleared," Vorobyov stated on Telegram, adding that residents from five nearby buildings had been evacuated for safety.
In a separate incident, another drone struck the ninth floor of a residential building in the same area, injuring one person.
The attack also targeted Moscow’s Zhukovsky Airport, with footage showing the remains of a burning drone on the airport's apron. The airfield, home to a military flight training institute and a manufacturing hub, saw parts of a downed drone fall onto the runway, according to Mash, a popular Russian Telegram channel.
Flight operations across Moscow’s three major airports—Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky—were significantly disrupted, with nearly 50 flights redirected, according to Rosaviatsiya, the federal air transport agency.
Russian authorities claimed to have downed over 20 Ukrainian drones in the capital region, while more than 70 were intercepted over the Bryansk region. Meanwhile, Ukraine reported that it had shot down 38 of the 46 drones launched by Russian forces overnight.