Seventy-four drones were intercepted as they approached Moscow in the early hours of March 11, marking the largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the beginning of the full-scale war. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its forces successfully intercepted 337 Ukrainian drones, with a significant portion of the strike targeting Moscow and its surrounding regions.
The strike saw 91 drones over Moscow Oblast, 126 over Kursk Oblast, and 38 over Bryansk Oblast, among others across Belgorod, Ryazan, Kaluga, Lipetsk, Oryol, Voronezh, and Nizhny Novgorod regions. This attack represents the largest single drone assault launched against Russia during the ongoing conflict.
The attack coincided with the upcoming peace talks between Ukrainian and U.S. delegations in Saudi Arabia, where Ukraine is reportedly set to propose a partial truce, including halting aerial and naval strikes.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that emergency services were dealing with debris from the drones, reporting minor damage to a building in the city. He attributed the attack to Ukrainian forces. Governor Andrey Vorobyov of Moscow Oblast confirmed the scale of the attack on his Telegram channel, detailing several locations affected by drone strikes, including a warehouse in Leninsky district, a parking lot in Domodedovo where 20 cars were set on fire, and an apartment building in Ramenskoye.
The attack has led to significant casualties, with three people reported dead in Moscow Oblast, including a security guard in Domodedovo and two individuals who succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Eighteen others, including three children, were injured in the region, according to the Russian Health Ministry.
At the time of reporting, the claims have not been independently verified, and Ukraine’s military has not commented on the attack.
In response to the strikes, Moscow’s major airports—Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky—implemented temporary flight restrictions. The Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) confirmed the measures. Additionally, the Dyagilevo airbase in Ryazan Oblast and an unspecified target in Kursk Oblast were reportedly struck in the overnight raids, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation.
Kovalenko suggested the attack might serve as an “additional signal” to President Putin regarding the possibility of a ceasefire, particularly in the air.
Ukraine has frequently targeted Russian military and industrial sites throughout the conflict, extending its strikes deep into Russian territory.
