Russia threatens to intensify strikes on Kyiv after Moscow drone attack
Russia's Defence Ministry says it will step up strikes on Kyiv in response to a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow overnight, while claiming most drones were shot down.
Russia's Defence Ministry has announced it will intensify strikes on "military targets in Kyiv" in response to what it called Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure. The statement was reported by Russian state news agency TASS.
The ministry also claimed that Ukraine's attempted attack on Moscow had failed, saying 1,951 Ukrainian drones and eight cruise missiles were shot down over the course of the day.
Large-scale drone attack on Moscow
On the night of 19-20 September, Ukrainian drones reportedly carried out a major attack on Moscow and the surrounding Moscow region. A fire broke out at the Sofyino logistics technopark, and the oil refinery in the Kapotnya district also caught fire following a drone strike. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said it was the largest drone attack the Russian capital has faced to date.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's defence forces used a range of long-range weapons during the strike, including the Flamingo, Palianytsia and Pelican systems. Ukraine's General Staff reported that three units at the Moscow oil refinery were damaged. Ukrainian forces also reportedly struck a Russian Buk-M3 air defence system, a Nebo-U radar station, and a drone production facility in occupied territory.
Russia is now in the fifth year of its full-scale war against Ukraine. Since 2022, attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other targets, especially in Kyiv, have intensified each autumn. In recent weeks, Kyiv has faced near-constant Russian strikes, including jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles.
