Ukraine Launches Massive Drone Attack on Russia as Peace Talks Begin

In a stark display of military timing, Ukraine has launched what appears to be its largest drone attack against Russia since the war began, killing three people and injuring 18 others—including a child—just as peace negotiations were set to commence in Saudi Arabia.

The massive assault targeted ten Russian regions simultaneously, with Moscow bearing the brunt of the offensive. Russian officials report that 91 drones were intercepted over the Moscow region alone, with Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claiming approximately 70 specifically targeted the capital.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 337 Ukrainian drones were neutralised overnight.

The ministry’s statement detailed that 126 of these were intercepted over the Kursk Region, which is adjacent to the Ukrainian border and well-covered by Russian air defenses; 91 were brought down over the Moscow Region, which surrounds the capital.

The attack’s destructive toll includes damage to seven apartment buildings and numerous vehicles set ablaze in a parking lot. Russian authorities implemented significant transportation disruptions, restricting flights at six airports and temporarily suspending train service.

Beyond Moscow, the wide-ranging attack struck border regions including Belgorod, Bryansk, and Voronezh, as well as territories deeper within Russia such as Kaluga, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, and Ryazan. Ukrainian officials have made no immediate comment on the operation.

“The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous. Hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance. This new version is the past and no different past can ever have existed. In principle the war effort is always planned to keep society on the brink of starvation. The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects and its object is not the victory over either Eurasia or East Asia, but to keep the very structure of society intact.” ― George Orwell

The timing couldn’t be more provocative—or more strategic. In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a Ukrainian delegation met with American diplomats to discuss potential pathways to ending the conflict that has raged since February 2022. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefly appeared in the country for meetings with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before departing, leaving his team to engage with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio and other American officials.

These talks represent the first official diplomatic engagement between the countries since Zelenskyy’s contentious White House meeting, where he faced public criticism from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. According to senior Ukrainian sources, Kyiv plans to propose a ceasefire covering Black Sea operations and long-range missile strikes, alongside a prisoner exchange.

While such reciprocal attacks have become a nightly feature of the conflict, the scale and timing of this particular Ukrainian offensive sends a clear message as diplomats gather at the negotiating table. It demonstrates that Ukraine retains significant strike capabilities and is negotiating from a position of strength rather than desperation.

Meanwhile, in a reminder of the war’s ceaseless nature, Ukraine’s air force reported overnight that it intercepted a Russian ballistic missile and 79 drones targeting its own territory—highlighting the deadly cycle of attacks that continues to define this brutal conflict, even as diplomats discuss the possibility of peace.

Paul Knaggs