Ukraine launches coordinated drone attack, Moscow, Russian oil depot targeted

Russia has reported a thwarted coordinated attack by Ukrainian drones on Crimea. Early Sunday, these drones also struck Moscow, causing disruptions in the capital’s air traffic, and ignited a fire at an oil depot in the southwest of Russia.

Ukraine has been on the offensive in recent days, targeting Russian military installations in occupied Crimea and the Black Sea Fleet’s facilities. Their objective appears to be undermining Moscow’s strategic efforts in the region.

Notably, there has been a rise in attacks occurring deep inside Russia, far from the conflict’s front lines. Moscow’s mayor confirmed the downing of at least two drones within the capital’s vicinity on Sunday.

Despite these reports, Reuters has been unable to independently verify the events, and there has been no immediate response from Kyiv.

In a recent opinion piece, Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s Security Council, implored Kyiv’s allies to expedite the delivery of weaponry, emphasizing it as the sole means to end the ongoing conflict. Danilov even proposed the idea of eliminating or partially neutralizing the Russian Black Sea Fleet, believing it could hasten Russia’s search for a resolution.

Russia’s defense ministry disclosed that their air defense systems successfully neutralized six drones targeting Crimea from various directions on Sunday. However, it remains unclear if there was any damage or casualties on the peninsula, which was annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, a move widely condemned internationally, long before Russia’s full-scale invasion.

In the Moscow region, authorities reported the destruction of one drone over the Istra district and another over the Ramensky district, with no reported casualties or damage from drone debris. Nevertheless, these incidents caused delays and cancellations for at least 30 flights at major Moscow airports, a common precaution during drone attacks.

In southwestern Russia, a Ukrainian drone struck an oil depot early Sunday, igniting a fire at a fuel tank. Fortunately, regional officials confirmed that there were no casualties, and emergency services quickly contained the blaze.

The governor of the Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, stated on Telegram that further investigation would determine whether the depot was intentionally targeted or if it was struck by debris from the drone attack.