Ukraine Launches Largest Drone Attack on Moscow, Russia Threatens Escalation

Ukraine launched its largest drone attack to date on Moscow and the surrounding region on September 20, 2026, striking a major oil refinery and other targets.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the assault as the largest ever on the capital. The attack occurred on the final day of Russia's parliamentary elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the defense forces used a range of long-range weapons, including Flamingo, Palianytsia, and Pelican. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported that three units at the Moscow Oil Refinery were damaged, and that a Russian Buk-M3 air defense system, a Nebo-U radar station, and a drone production site were hit.

The Russian Ministry of Defence threatened to intensify attacks on Kyiv in response to the Ukrainian strikes on Moscow, alleging that the attempted attack on Moscow failed and that 1,951 Ukrainian UAVs and 8 cruise missiles were shot down. At least two people were killed in the Moscow region during the drone attack, according to Moscow's governor.

Russia is in its fifth year of conducting a full-scale war against Ukraine, with attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and other targets, particularly in Kyiv, intensifying every autumn.