Conflict & Security
Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and region kills two
September 20, 2026 at 05:57 AM · Updated 26d ago
Coverage
9 reports · 6 in Arabic, 3 in English · over 13 hours
Russian authorities said two people were killed and others injured in a wide drone attack that struck Moscow and surrounding areas early Sunday.
- Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense destroyed 152 drones heading toward the capital during the overnight assault.
- Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyev said air defense and electronic warfare systems neutralized 249 drones, killing an elderly man and a woman and injuring five people, including two children.
- The attack damaged a facility at Moscow's oil refinery and set a 21-story residential building in Ramenskoye ablaze, prompting the evacuation of about 400 people.
- Temporary restrictions disrupted air traffic at Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports, with Vnukovo halting all arrivals and departures.
- More than 1,600 drones were intercepted, 450 of them aimed at the capital, Moscow's mayor said.
- Over 30 flights were unable to land at Moscow airports, with about 25 bound for Sheremetyevo diverted to other cities.
- The attack struck on the last day of Russia's three-day parliamentary elections.
- Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin accused Ukraine of launching the drone attack to interfere with Russia's parliamentary elections.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the long-range drone operations delivered a 'very significant impact' in the Moscow region, hitting a major oil facility and a logistics hub.
- Russia said it struck targets inside Ukraine, including a cargo ship and logistics centers near Odesa and Kyiv.
- Russia's Defense Ministry said it would continue high-precision strikes on military targets in Kyiv in response to the attack.
- Moscow officials raised the injury toll to 20, up from five reported earlier.





