Ukraine hits Moscow with 390+ drones ahead of Zelensky-Trump talks

Ukraine targeted the Moscow region with more than 390 drones overnight on Tuesday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, in one of the largest aerial assaults on the Russian capital since the war began — timed just hours before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.nampa+2

Damage and Defenses

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 356 Ukrainian drones across Russian regions overnight. Sobyanin reported that 81 were shot down on approach to Moscow, with the attack beginning in the evening and continuing through the early morning hours.mezha+2

Despite the claimed interceptions, strikes still reached their targets. An apartment building in Chekhov, south of Moscow, was damaged in the attack, though regional governor Andrei Vorobyov and local mayor Mikhail Sobakin said there were no casualties. Fires were also reported at industrial sites in the Moscow region.straitstimes+2

In Russian-occupied Crimea, a strike hit a power substation on Kerch Highway in Feodosia, setting it ablaze and leaving most of the city without electricity. The Crimean energy strikes are part of a broader Ukrainian campaign that has targeted 14 energy facilities across occupied territories in just three days, according to Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert Brovdi.kyivindependent+1

Airport Disruptions

Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsiya imposed temporary flight restrictions at three Moscow airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky — suspending normal operations as drones approached the capital. The disruptions have become a recurring feature of Ukraine's intensifying long-range drone campaign, with similar restrictions imposed multiple times in recent months.caliber+2

Diplomatic Backdrop

The attack came as Zelensky arrived in the United States for talks with Trump on Tuesday. "Our number-one priority is anti-ballistic defense and strategic cooperation with America. Peace needs to be brought closer," Zelensky said in a post on X after landing, according to Deutsche Welle. The White House confirmed the meeting was scheduled for July 28.straitstimes+1

The scale of Ukraine's drone operations against Moscow has escalated sharply in recent weeks, with Sobyanin reporting 1,892 drones targeting the Moscow region in the week of July 11–18 alone. Russia claimed to have intercepted more than 63,000 Ukrainian drones in the first half of 2026.facebook+1