Ukraine has conducted multiple drone attacks targeting Moscow and its surrounding areas as part of its ongoing military operations against Russian infrastructure and air defenses during the Russo-Ukrainian War. These strikes have escalated in frequency and scale throughout 2025, with several reported in September alone. Russian authorities have intercepted most drones, but some have caused disruptions, minor damage, and casualties. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for every incident but has confirmed broader campaigns against Russian energy and military targets, including pipelines feeding Moscow.
### Key Recent Incidents (September 2025):
- **September 28–29**: Ukrainian forces launched their largest drone barrage on Moscow since March, with Russian air defenses downing at least 44 drones approaching the city overnight. The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting over 150 drones across multiple regions, including Moscow Oblast, with no major damage reported in the capital but temporary airport closures.
- **September 23–24**:
At least 46 Ukrainian drones were shot down en route to Moscow, part of a major barrage that also targeted annexed Crimea and the Black Sea. Air traffic at Moscow's airports was suspended, and power outages occurred in nearby Belgorod Oblast.
- **September 22–23**:
Dozens of drones struck Moscow throughout the night, leading to the interception of 69 over nine Russian regions, including Moscow Oblast. Airports were closed, and Russian media reported substation damage in Belgorod.
### Broader Context:
- Ukraine's strategy focuses on "systematically" degrading Russia's military and economic capabilities, including fuel supplies to Moscow via pipelines and refineries. For instance, on September 14, Ukraine hit Russia's second-largest refinery (Kinef), disrupting diesel flows to the capital.
- On September 25, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explicitly threatened strikes on Kremlin leadership if Russia does not end the war, stating they would need bomb shelters but emphasizing no civilian targets.
- Earlier in September (e.g., September 10), Ukraine launched 144 drones—the war's largest single attack on Moscow—damaging homes and killing two people.
- These actions occur amid intensified Russian retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian cities like Kyiv, where nearly 600 drones and missiles killed at least four on September 28.
Russia portrays these as terrorist acts, while Ukraine frames them as legitimate defense against invasion. No ground incursions or missile strikes directly on central Moscow (e.g., the Kremlin) have been confirmed, but drone incursions represent a form of aerial attack. The situation remains fluid, with both sides escalating long-range operations.
Yesterday . Many saying these were US HIMARS
Knocked power out to Belgorod (no drones observed)
Video
Strikes on Russian thermal power plant and substations in Belgorod
https://rumble.com/v6zldae-strikes-on-russian-thermal-power-plant-and-substations-in-belgorod-likely-u.html
Vance said yesterday Tomahawk cruise missiles may be supplied to Ukraine soon to strike deep in Russia