Russia said Tuesday that its air defenses shot down 337 Ukrainian drones in what appears to be the largest drone assault on Russian territory since the war began three years ago. The overnight attack targeted at least 10 Russian regions, including Moscow, and left two people dead and 18 injured, officials reported.
The strikes came just hours before high-stakes U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia aimed at finding a path toward ending the war—the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Moscow hit by biggest drone assault of the war
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the bulk of the Ukrainian drones were intercepted over the Kursk region, where 126 were downed, and the Moscow region, where 91 were destroyed. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that more than 70 drones were shot down as they approached the Russian capital, marking the most extensive drone attack on the city since the war began. Other targeted regions included Belgorod, Bryansk, and Voronezh, which share borders with Ukraine, as well as Kaluga, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, and Ryazan, which are deeper inside the territory of Russia.
Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said the attack caused damage to several residential buildings and vehicles. A multi-story building in Moscow sustained minor damage to its facade, according to officials. Flights at six major Russian airports, including Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky near Moscow, as well as airports in Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod, were temporarily disrupted. Train traffic at Domodedovo railway station was also briefly suspended.
Ukraine and U.S. discuss ceasefire and rare earth minerals deal
As the drone assault unfolded, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s delegation. Two senior Ukrainian officials said Kyiv was prepared to sign an agreement with Washington, granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, a deal that U.S. President Donald Trump has been eager to secure.
While the talks were expected to address potential ceasefire proposals—including one covering the Black Sea to ensure safer shipping and another to halt long-range missile strikes—Rubio said the U.S. delegation would not be making specific demands but instead listening to what Ukraine was willing to negotiate.
“I’m not going to set any conditions on what they have to or need to do,” Rubio told reporters. “I think we want to listen to see how far they’re willing to go and then compare that to what the Russians want and see how far apart we truly are.” The Kremlin has not signaled any willingness to compromise, maintaining that it will only consider ending hostilities if Ukraine abandons its NATO ambitions and recognizes Russian control over occupied territories.
Russia maintains battlefield momentum
For more than a year, Russian forces have held the battlefield advantage, making strategic advances along the 1,000-kilometer front line, particularly in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
With no clear resolution in sight, the war continues to escalate, both on the battlefield and in the diplomatic arena. The outcome of the Jeddah talks may shape the next phase of the conflict, but for now, tensions between Moscow and Kyiv remain as high as ever.