Russia said on Tuesday that its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 419 Ukrainian drones launched overnight across several regions of the country, including the Moscow region, where authorities reported that a six-month-old baby was killed after a drone struck a residential building.
The latest wave of attacks marks one of the largest drone assaults since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, underscoring the growing intensity of Kyiv’s long-range strike campaign as the conflict approaches its fourth and a half year.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, air defence units successfully destroyed all 419 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles targeting various parts of the country.
“Air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 419 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles,” the ministry said in a statement posted on the state-run Max platform.
Authorities in the Moscow region confirmed that one of the drones hit a private residence in the village of Yevgoryevsk, southwest of the Russian capital.
Governor Andrei Vorobyov said the attack claimed the life of a six-month-old infant while the child was being transported to hospital.
“Unfortunately, a six-month-old baby died on the way to the hospital,” Vorobyov wrote on Telegram.
He added that two adults and another child sustained injuries and were receiving treatment.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin disclosed that Russian air defence forces had intercepted 61 drones targeting the capital between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, preventing what could have been a larger-scale attack on the city.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces carried out a successful strike on the Dubna satellite communications centre in the Moscow region, describing it as a strategic military target.
According to Zelensky, the facility plays a crucial role in Russia’s military operations by providing satellite communications, intelligence gathering and coordination support for Russian forces operating in occupied Ukrainian territories.
“This is a special satellite communications facility used, in particular, for reconnaissance and for coordinating the activity of Russia’s occupation contingent in Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian leader described the deep strikes into Russian territory as “long-range sanctions,” arguing that they represent a legitimate response to Russia’s continued missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Kyiv has increasingly expanded the range of its drone operations in recent months, striking military and energy infrastructure hundreds of kilometres inside Russian territory, including facilities near the Ural Mountains.
Last week, Ukrainian authorities also claimed responsibility for an attack that sparked a fire at an oil refinery in southeastern Moscow.
The latest offensive comes only days after Russia announced it had destroyed 660 Ukrainian drones between Thursday and Friday, one of the highest interception figures recorded since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Despite repeated large-scale interceptions claimed by Russian authorities, Ukraine has continued to intensify its drone campaign, targeting military installations, logistics hubs, communication centres and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia as both sides seek strategic advantages in the prolonged conflict.