A large-scale drone strike shook Moscow and its surrounding areas overnight into Sunday, injuring one woman and briefly suspending operations at some of Russia’s busiest airports. Meanwhile, a significant wave of Russian drones targeted Ukraine in the night hours.
In the Moscow region, a woman in her 50s sustained burns to her face, neck, and hands after shrapnel from a downed drone struck the village of Stanovoye, southeast of the capital. According to regional governor Andrei Vorobyov, at least two other homes in the area also caught fire. The attack led to the temporary closure of three major airports—Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky—with flights rerouted to cities such as Nizhny Novgorod, over 490 kilometers (240 miles) away. Residents reported on Telegram that drone fragments scattered across suburban areas, damaging and igniting vehicles in their yards.
The strike comes a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched “a record 145 Shaheds and other strike drones” against his country on Saturday night, a significant escalation in the conflict. The Iranian-made drones are cheap but effective weapons.
Kremlin sources have downplayed the significance of the drone strikes, but the fact that they were so close to Russia’s capital will raise concerns about future escalations. It also means that the drones can fly far enough to target critical targets in the Ukrainian capital if they continue to increase in number and sophistication.
The US has spelled out a vision of deterring a Russian military buildup near its borders, but the new administration’s plans are vague. The White House has reportedly spoken to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and will invite him to meet with Vice President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday. Still, whether the Trump team will pursue significant new initiatives or maintain the status quo remains unclear.
Trump’s election to the White House has the potential to upend the almost three-year conflict and has questioned Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv, which is crucial to its defense. The United States is the leading provider of military aid to Ukraine, providing over $1 billion in the last two years, including dozens of long-range Multiple Launch Rocket Systems and nearly 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition. It is also helping Ukraine reform its armed forces, with some eighteen European and North American partners supporting doctrine development, institutional reform, and training and equipment integration.
But despite these efforts, it has been challenging to deliver on the scale of assistance required for Ukraine to become self-sufficient in its defense. As a result, the Ukrainian government has relied on emergency Presidential Drawdown authority to get weapons quickly, with the US supplying 10 MRLRS, 178 tanks and armored personnel carriers, and nearly 250,000 munitions. The authority allows the Pentagon to bypass congressional budget restrictions and speed up deliveries to Ukraine, but Congress is threatening to block further use this year. It could delay the delivery of up to 200 more MLRS systems next month.
