[48794] Unprecedented drone strike wave on Russia: dozens wounded, damage to oil infrastructure and flight disruptions

Unprecedented nightly drone attack on Russia

During the night and morning of May 3, 2026, Russia experienced a widespread wave of aerial attacks, as the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the interception of 334 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over 16 different regions, including the Moscow area, the Crimean Peninsula, and border regions according to RT.

Centers of damage and civil impact

In the Leningrad region, a hit was reported at the oil terminal in Primorsk. The regional governor, Alexander Drozdenko, noted that "the primary target of the attack was the maritime trade port in Primorsk" and that a fire broke out which was extinguished without an oil leak. The Baza and Varlamov News networks reported delays and cancellations of dozens of flights at Pulkovo Airport. Simultaneously, in the Moscow region, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that a drone hit a residential building on Mosfilmovskaya Street, with no loss of life.

In the Smolensk region, drone debris hit a residential building, and officials confirmed that three people, including a child, were injured. In the Volokolamsk district in the Moscow suburbs, the death of a 77-year-old man as a result of a drone attack was reported.

Allegations of NATO country involvement

Pro-war Russian Telegram channels, such as "Black Bears" and the "Bears" channel, claim that the Ukrainian drones used the airspace of the Baltic states and Finland to bypass Russia's air defense systems. The "Bears" channel claimed that "they used the airspace of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland," a claim that received wide echo among "War Correspondents" channels identified with the Kremlin's position.

The situation in Ukraine

At the same time, Ukraine sustained widespread attacks. Zelensky's representatives and local authorities reported hits on infrastructure facilities in the Odesa region, where two civilians were killed, and in additional areas such as Dnipro and Kherson. According to reports from the BBC in Russian, the Russian attack focused on energy and logistics infrastructure, with Zelensky stating that Ukraine struck Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea in response.