What Do We Know About Ukraine's Drone Attack on Moscow?

Russian officials say Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on the Moscow region overnight into Oct. 6, killing two people and damaging dozens of homes, according to Al Jazeera, which cited reporting from AFP and Reuters.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 650 drones were detected heading toward the city, with most shot down before reaching their targets. Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov separately reported that 290 drones targeted Moscow and the surrounding region, with 185 of those "destroyed or neutralised" over the wider area, Al Jazeera reported.

How many people were killed or hurt?

Vorobyov said one person died in Radumlya and another in Barbybino, two communities in the Moscow region. He said seven people were injured and that the strikes damaged 47 houses, four apartments and three cars, according to Al Jazeera's account of his statement.

What infrastructure did the attack hit?

A fire broke out at a warehouse in the Russian capital, Sobyanin said. Separately, Yuri Podolyaka, a war blogger cited by Al Jazeera, said an oil storage tank was struck at the Volodarskaya oil storage and distribution facility, which the outlet described as the largest such site in the Moscow region. Al Jazeera reported there was no official confirmation that the facility had been hit.

The Volodarskaya site stores diesel, petrol and jet fuel and is tied into the distribution network of Transneft, Russia's state pipeline operator, supplying Moscow's main oil refinery and all three of the capital's large airports, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet noted that Ukraine has increasingly targeted refineries, depots and export terminals in what it described as an effort to cut into the revenue Moscow uses to finance the war, which Russia began in February 2022.

How does this attack compare with recent strikes?

Al Jazeera's Moscow-based correspondent, Dmitry Medvenko, said the overnight assault ended a relative lull in large Ukrainian strikes on the capital that had held since Sept. 20. The broader exchange of long-range attacks has continued on both sides in the meantime.

Timeline of recent strikes, per Al Jazeera's reporting:

• Sept. 20: Last major Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow before the lull began.
• Oct. 5 (overnight): Up to 650 drones head toward Moscow; Vorobyov's tally puts the regional figure at 290, with two dead and a warehouse fire in the capital.
• Oct. 6 (same day): A Ukrainian drone strikes a minibus in Russian-occupied Zaporizhia, killing three people including the driver, according to Kremlin-appointed official Yevgeny Balitsky, who posted the account on Telegram.
• Ongoing: Russia has intensified missile and drone waves against Kyiv, including strikes on bridges over the Dnipro River, Al Jazeera reported.

What happened in the Zaporizhia strike?

Balitsky said the drone hit the minibus near a village close to the front line, killing three people and wounding three passengers, Al Jazeera reported. The account has not been independently verified beyond the Moscow-installed official's statement.

Why are both sides striking harder before winter?

Al Jazeera's reporting frames the overnight Moscow attack and the preceding lull as part of a pattern in which both Russia and Ukraine escalate long-range strikes on infrastructure as colder months approach. Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy sites aim at revenue Moscow needs to fund the war, the outlet reported, while Russia has stepped up missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and Dnipro River crossings. The United Nations has warned of a significant rise in civilian deaths as the war enters its fifth year, according to Al Jazeera, with diplomatic efforts so far failing to stop the fighting.

Glossary

Transneft: Russia's state-owned pipeline monopoly, which operates the distribution network tied to the Volodarskaya facility named in the report.

Moscow-installed authorities: Officials appointed by Russia to govern occupied Ukrainian territory, such as Zaporizhia region official Yevgeny Balitsky, cited for the minibus strike account.

Long-range strikes: Drone or missile attacks reaching deep into an adversary's territory, as opposed to strikes confined to the front line; both Moscow and Kyiv have expanded their use of these strikes, per Al Jazeera's reporting.

War blogger: An independent, often pro-Russian commentator — such as Yuri Podolyaka, cited in the report — who posts battlefield claims on social media that are not always officially confirmed.

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