Massive Ukrainian Drone Strike Hits Moscow Region,
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Moscow
- May 18, 2026
- 457
At least three people were killed and several others injured in one of the largest Ukrainian drone attacks on the Moscow region since the start of the war, according to Russian officials. The overnight assault targeted multiple areas around the Russian capital, damaging homes, an oil refinery, and airport infrastructure.
Regional governor Andrei Vorobiev said a woman was killed in Khimki, north of Moscow, while another person remained trapped under rubble. A man and a woman also died in the village of Pogorelki.
India’s embassy in Moscow confirmed that one Indian citizen was killed and three others injured during the attacks, though Russian authorities did not clarify whether these casualties were included in the official death toll.
Another civilian was reported killed in Russia’s Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border.
Moscow Oil Refinery, Airport Hit
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said drones struck the entrance of the city’s oil refinery, injuring 12 people and damaging nearby residential buildings.
A private house in the village of Subbotino caught fire during the strikes, while debris from intercepted drones fell inside the grounds of Sheremetyevo International Airport — Russia’s busiest airport. Airport authorities said no injuries were reported and operations continued normally.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed that air defence systems intercepted 556 drones across the country, including around 130 in the Moscow region alone.
Ukraine Says Attacks Were “Justified”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defended the strikes, calling them an “entirely justified” response to repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.
In a Telegram post, Zelensky said Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions have reached the Moscow region,” warning that Russia must end its war.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said the operation targeted oil facilities and a semiconductor plant in the Moscow region. It also claimed strikes on air defence systems at the Belbek military airfield in Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
Russia Continues Drone Assault on Ukraine
At the same time, Russian forces launched fresh drone and artillery attacks across Ukraine. Officials in the Dnipropetrovsk region said at least eight people were injured after more than 30 overnight strikes hit several districts.
Regional authorities reported damage to homes and fires in the city of Dnipro. One woman was also injured in a separate Russian drone strike in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 287 drones overnight. According to Kyiv, 279 drones were intercepted, though eight managed to hit targets in seven locations.
The conflict, which began after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, continues to intensify with both sides increasingly targeting infrastructure deep behind front lines.