Russia Ukraine latest news: One of Ukraine’s biggest drone strikes has been launched against multiple regions in Russia, including Moscow. Russian officials said that nearly 600 drones were used in the overnight strike, which they have described as one of the biggest aerial attacks of the war. Moscow officials have claimed that more than 550 drones were downed or intercepted across the country.
Russian defence sources have sad the drones were launched in a coordinated wave across multiple regions, with 81 drones reportedly fired at Moscow alone.
It was a spread-out attack that saw air defence systems engage drones across several regions overnight and into Saturday morning.
Casualties and damage? What we know
The strikes caused casualties, with at least three people killed in the Moscow region and another death reported in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. In Khimki, a woman was killed after debris fell onto her home, while two men were killed in a neighbouring village north of Moscow.
One Indian worker has also reportedly been killed in the strike. The identity yet to be revealed.
More evidence that Ukrainian Air defences are whats killing Ukrainian civilians, not Russian targetting.
Clear video showing a downed “Geran-2” falling and exploding in the courtyard of a residential building in Kiev. pic.twitter.com/qPryABQhj9
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) May 17, 2026
At least 12 people, including construction workers, were injured near an oil and gas facility, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Authorities, however, insisted that the refinery itself continued to operate as usual.
Is this a revenge move from Ukraine?
The large-scale drone attack followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s vow to retaliate after a Russian strike on Kyiv killed 24 people and wounded about 50 others. Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s strikes on Russian territory were “entirely justified” in the face of continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
How has Russia responded to drone attacks?
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defence systems were activated across the country and claimed to have intercepted more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones over the course of 24 hours, including those that were destroyed after dawn.
Moscow officials said that residential buildings and infrastructure have been damaged in several areas, but they have insisted that key facilities in the country are still operating.
Will Russia hit back strongly?
Ukrainian officials said Russia had launched hundreds of drones over Ukraine during the same period. Most were reported to have been intercepted or jammed, but several regions in Dnipropetrovsk, as well as Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Synelkove, suffered injuries and damage.
The latest tit-for-tat of large-scale drone attacks from both sides has raised the spectre of a major escalation in the conflict. With the latest round of drone attacks, both sides have shown their ability to strike deep into the other’s territory, bringing the war into near-capital regions.
With deep strikes reaching near-capital regions and increasing drone warfare capability on both sides, tensions appear to be intensifying further. A
According to experts, the increased frequency and scale of the attacks could signal a shift towards a more aggressive and unpredictable phase of the war.
