Russia and Ukraine Exchange Largest Drone Attacks of the War

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Facts

  • Russia's defense ministry said it shot down a record 96 Ukrainian drones on Sunday, including 34 over the Moscow region. The report constitutes the largest Ukrainian attack towards the Russian capital since the war started almost three years ago.[1][2]
  • According to Russian officials, one civilian was killed in the border region of Belgorod, while five civilians were injured in the suburbs of Moscow. Officials added that flights headed for Moscow's two international airports were temporarily diverted.[3]
  • Meanwhile, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said that 145 Russian drones attacked the country overnight, describing it as a "record" number in a single night. One person was injured in the southern port town of Odesa, according to the region's governor.[4][5]
  • Ukraine's Air Force said 62 of the drones were shot down, while 67 were "lost" — believed to mean that they were electronically jammed. It added that 10 drones were spotted leaving the airspace of Ukraine towards Russia, Belarus, and Moldova.[4]
  • Moldova's foreign ministry issued a rebuke, stating that the two decoy drones that fell in its territory "endangered Moldovan lives and violated Moldovan airspace."[6]
  • Ukraine on Monday reported a further overnight attack, stating that two of two missiles and 39 of 74 drones were shot down, while 30 disappeared off the radar and three left Ukrainian airspace. Officials said five civilians were killed and one injured in Mykolaiv, while one was killed and at least 21 injured in Zaporizhzhia.[7][8][9][10]

Sources: [1]TASS, [2]The Guardian, [3]Associated Press, [4]CNN, [5]CBS, [6]Ukrainska Pravda (a), [7]Ukrainska Pravda (b), [8]Ukrainska Pravda (c), [9]Ukrainska Pravda (d) and [10]Ukrainska Pravda (e).

Narratives

  • Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Every day Russia unleashes more terror on Ukraine, negating any prospect of dialogue or peace talks. These attacks must be met with a strong response from Western partners, primarily by giving Ukraine the weapons it needs to prevent further attacks.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Russia's defense ministry continues to take decisive action against Ukrainian attacks, shooting down 96 drones deployed in the most recent attack on its nation. Rather than prolonging this conflict, Kyiv should come to the table and agree to peace talks.