Hundreds of Ukrainian Drones Target Moscow and Deaths in Russian Attack on Kyiv

SadaNews - Ukraine launched more than 430 drones towards Moscow on Monday night, according to the mayor of the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin. Meanwhile, 28 people were killed in a Russian attack on Ukraine, just before the NATO summit in Ankara, scheduled for today, Tuesday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a guest.

Sobyanin wrote on social media, "From evening until six in the morning, over 430 drones flew towards the Moscow region. The Air Force intercepted most of them at long distances. Thirty-six enemy drones were destroyed as they approached Moscow."

Earlier on Tuesday, acting Belgorod region governor Alexander Shvayev announced that one person was killed in the region due to "repeated" Ukrainian missile strikes, which caused a fire at one of the infrastructure facilities.

These Ukrainian strikes come a day after a heavy Russian bombing campaign on Kyiv, which resulted in at least 26 deaths in the capital and its surroundings.

Kyiv Calls for Decisive Decisions

On the eve of the NATO summit, Ukrainian President Zelensky urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to make "decisive decisions" to strengthen his country’s air defenses.

The Ukrainian president described the strikes targeting the capital and its areas as a "brutal attack," noting that 26 people were killed in Kyiv and its region, while two others died in a drone strike that hit a gas station in the southeastern Zaporizhia region, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Zelensky expressed his high hopes for the outcomes of the NATO summit in Ankara, asserting that it should lead to more than "hollow practices" and provide greater protection for Ukraine against the escalating Russian attacks.

Ukrainian emergency services reported that rescue teams are still searching for survivors under the rubble of buildings that were destroyed by the bombardment, while Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko announced that about 30 buildings were damaged across the capital.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha confirmed that the bodies of an entire family – including parents and their child – were pulled from under the rubble.

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced yesterday that its forces carried out a "massive" attack on Kyiv and other sites using long-range, precision-guided munitions and drones launched from air, land, and sea.

They added that the attack targeted military facilities and energy sites in Kyiv and its surrounding area, as well as military airbases in various regions of Ukraine.

Shortage of Air Defenses

Data from the Ukrainian Air Force indicated that during the attack, Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 drones, and air defenses intercepted 37 missiles and 326 drones, but failed to shoot down any of the 23 ballistic missiles, highlighting the critical shortage of intercepting "Patriot" missiles.

Zelensky stated that air defense systems achieve high interception rates for drones and cruise missiles when intercepting missiles are available, but acknowledged clear gaps in responding to ballistic missiles.

He added that Ukraine has the ability to produce air defense systems if it obtains U.S. licenses to manufacture "Patriot" missiles, considering that this would provide protection for Ukraine and also support its partners.

The Ukrainian president urged Western allies to expedite the supply of air defense systems to his country, stating that the presence of "Patriot" missiles in the storage of allied countries encourages Russia to continue targeting residential areas.

Zelensky repeatedly calls for more interception systems capable of shooting down ballistic projectiles, which are typically hard to intercept due to their high speed and sharp trajectory.

In his daily video address yesterday evening, he stated: "It is illogical that production -in our contemporary world- has not yet reached the required level to provide actual protection for the people from the terrorism of ballistic missiles."

Attack on a Russian Refinery

In contrast, the Ukrainian military announced that it carried out a drone attack targeting the Omsk refinery, which is the largest oil refinery in Russia, located deep in Siberia, about 2,700 kilometers from the territories controlled by Kyiv.

The General Staff stated that the attack resulted in a fire at the refinery, while the governor of Omsk region confirmed the attack, pointing out that Russian air defenses shot down most of the drones and that there were no human casualties reported.

Zelensky described the operation as "an important achievement for the Ukrainian armed forces," stating that "Siberia has also now come within the range of Ukrainian precision strikes."

The Ukrainian defense technology company "Firepoint" stated that its developed drones, type "FB-1," carried out the attack, describing it as a record for offensive drones "not only in Ukraine, but worldwide."

A Solution is Closer

For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump stated yesterday that reaching a solution to the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than four years, is "closer than people think," noting that he will address the Ukraine file during the NATO summit.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he believes "the solution to the conflict is closer than people think. President Vladimir Putin wants to end it. I assure you of that."

Trump made these statements after speaking earlier this week with Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he believes the U.S. position on how to resolve the conflict remains unchanged.

However, Zelensky, in an interview with the Financial Times, stated that he believes Trump views the conflict from a new perspective in light of the "Ukrainian successes" in recent times.

These developments come on the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara, where Zelensky is scheduled to meet Trump in an attempt to gain further military support and revive efforts to end the war that has lasted more than four years.

Source: Agencies