[90598] Unprecedented drone attack on Moscow and Russia; girl killed in bombings

Unprecedented drone attack on Moscow and other regions in Russia

In the last 24 hours, Russia has experienced one of the most extensive drone attacks since the outbreak of the war. According to reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, no fewer than 133 unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted over 12 districts in Russia and over the Black Sea during the night between June 18 and 19. On Friday, between 08:00 and 14:00, the ministry reported the interception of 216 additional aircraft. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin noted that dozens of drones were directed straight at the capital city, which led to the imposition of temporary restrictions at the Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo airports.

The human tragedy was not long in coming. Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov confirmed that an eight-year-old girl was killed in Zhukovsky as a result of a drone strike on a residential building that caused a fire. According to data from Readovka (a pro-Russian source), at least 18 residential buildings were damaged in the Moscow region, among others in the cities of Kotelniki, Lyubertsy, and Ramenskoye.

Simultaneously, attacks against critical infrastructure were reported. The management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (under Russian control) stated that the station's facilities were hit by 14 drone strikes, which caused a fire in a garage and damage to logistical infrastructure. ASTRA (a channel that reports critically on the Moscow government) noted that the attack was also directed at the Moscow Oil Refinery (MNPZ), and that the loss of processing capacity there constitutes a significant blow to fuel supply in the capital region.

On the Ukrainian side, media outlets such as NEXTA Live (a Belarusian opposition channel) emphasized that the strikes come in response to Russian bombings of cities like Kharkiv and Pavlohrad, where deaths and injuries, including of children, were reported. At the same time, Russian media outlets published investigations raising suspicions that some of the damage in Moscow was caused as a result of malfunctions in the air defense systems themselves, with The Moscow Times claiming that cases were documented where defensive missiles hit fuel facilities due to inaccuracies.