Moscow hit by largest Ukrainian attack since start of Russia's full-scale war

Moscow hit by largest Ukrainian attack since start of Russia's full-scale war 5 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Laura Gozzi Steve Rosenberg asks if Putin change tactics after Ukrainian drone attacks. Moscow has come under the largest Ukrainian attack since the start of the full-scale war, with close to 200 drones hitting targets around the Russian capital and setting columns of thick smoke billowing high into the sky. Seventeen people were wounded in the Moscow region, according to local governor Andrei Vorobyov. Almost 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles were intercepted and destroyed across the country in 24 hours, Russia's defence ministry was quoted as saying. An oil depot was struck in the southern Rostov region, where one person was killed. Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had once again hit the Moscow region with "long-range sanctions" - a euphemism for Ukrainian long-distance strikes on Russia. "It's time to end this war, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy," he added. He said the massive drone strike was in response to last week's Russian attack on Kyiv, which set a major religious landmark ablaze. Reuters The fire at the Kapotnya refinery was visible to motorists on the Moscow ringroad "We don't want this war and have never wanted it," Zelensky said. "But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too." Fires broke out as the Kapotnya refinery in south-east Moscow was hit for the third time in a month and the second time this week, colouring the sky black with smoke. Numerous videos showed the lid of a large oil storage tank blown dozens of metres into the air by the force of an explosion. A nearby shopping centre was also burning, reportedly after drone debris fell on the building, and several residential high-rise blocks were evacuated. Moscow's four airports were temporarily shut and more than 500 flights were cancelled or delayed. Although local authorities across Russia have banned publication of images of the aftermath of drone strikes, dozens of videos were posted on social media showing drones flying across the sky in broad daylight and explosions over industrial areas on the outskirts of Moscow. It has been a regular Ukrainian tactic to launch a large number of reconnaissance decoy drones to map out the density of air defences and vulnerable areas, before the main air strikes begin. Four and a half years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war of attrition on the front line in Ukraine grinds on, out of sight for many in Russia. Kyiv's long-range strikes on targets across Russia as well as Moscow and St Petersburg are an indication of Zelensky's aim of "bringing the war home" to ordinary Russians. Drone attacks on Moscow - about 500km (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border - have become more frequent as Kyiv has developed its long-range capabilities. Ukraine's first successful drone strikes reached the Russian capital in spring 2023, although they were sporadic and