Ukraine fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia over the weekend, including hundreds launched at Moscow.
The mayor of Moscow called it the “largest ever” drone attack on the city and said there was damage to the Moscow oil refinery and a residential building.
Due to the ongoing war, Ukraine has become a global leader in military drone technology, launching their long-range drones alongside missiles for strikes deep inside Russia.
Russia struck back after the Moscow attack, sending drones to blast Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhzhia. Officials say Russia’s drones hit apartment blocks, a university and a shopping mall, wounding five people. The Russian Defense Ministry says it also struck military targets.
Ukraine’s air force said Monday it shot down or suppressed 148 Russian drones in that overnight attack.
More than four years after Russia invaded its neighbor, the war shows no signs of easing as world leaders gather at the U.N. General Assembly. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, while Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend.
“Russia is not backing down from its escalation and is sending many signals that it is ready to expand the war,” Zelenskyy said. “At the U.N. General Assembly, we will discuss how we can achieve peace through joint efforts.”
Neighboring countries fear being dragged into the war with Russia as drones have repeatedly entered their airspace. Moldova’s Ministry of Defense said Monday that part of the country’s northern airspace was temporarily closed overnight after surveillance systems detected an “aerial object” entering its national airspace.
Drone incursions into Romania’s airspace have also increased significantly.
