Ukraine launched nearly 400 drones at Moscow and the surrounding region overnight on July 28, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and AFP reporting cited by multiple outlets [1][3][5]. The attack came as Romania expelled a member of the Russian embassy following repeated drone incursions into NATO airspace, a diplomatic step beyond previous responses to similar incidents [8][6]. The strikes occurred ahead of a scheduled meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump at the White House, where Zelensky has requested Patriot missile defense systems [26][29].
Sobyanin stated that more than 390 drones headed toward the Moscow region, with the vast majority shot down at a distance and 81 destroyed on approach to the capital [3][23]. The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 356 Ukrainian drones across Russian regions, occupied Crimea, and the Sea of Azov overnight [3][5], and separately announced the destruction of 112 drones over a 12-hour period across regions including Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, and Leningrad [2]. Regional Governor Andrei Vorobiov confirmed a drone struck an apartment building in Chekhov, damaging two units without casualties, and reported air defense activity over Podolsk, Domodedovo, and Kolomna [5][17]. Ukrainian drones also struck an industrial plant in Chekhov and caused a blackout in occupied Feodosia, Crimea, after a drone hit an electric substation [18]. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency suspended operations at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports [10]. A separate Ukrainian drone attack in Belgorod region injured 19 bus passengers in Shebekino; accounts of the death toll diverged, with the Moscow Times first reporting one person killed before later reports put the toll at three [5][13].
Zelensky has previously confirmed Ukrainian strikes on targets in the Moscow region, stating that Ukraine is adequately responding to every Russian strike and that the war must be ended by increasing pressure on Russia [30]. Ukrainian military figures and analysts frame the drone campaign as a deliberate effort to disrupt Russia's war economy and create diplomatic leverage. Denys Shtilerman, co-founder of drone manufacturer Fire Point, said Ukraine has "completely changed the mindset of this war" by demonstrating that Russia is not invincible [22]. A UAV battalion commander identified as Schultz argued that strikes should be relentless to make Russians feel the war is near, constituting Ukraine's main diplomatic leverage for settling the conflict [22]. Research fellow Mykola Bielieskov at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies explained that Ukraine used Russia's vastness against it, as Russia lacks enough surface-to-air missiles and radars to monitor its own airspace [22].
The strikes targeted logistics infrastructure including Wildberries warehouses, part of what Ukrainian sources describe as a sustained campaign against the Russian e-commerce platform due to its sale of dual-use items including bulletproof vests and fiber-optic cable for drones [15][19]. A warehouse fire at a 3PL logistics company near a Wildberries facility in Koledino was reported, though Wildberries denied its facility was directly hit [3][5]. A separate strike targeted a Wildberries warehouse and the Ryazan Oil Refinery, one of Russia's largest, accounting for roughly 5% of the country's total processing output, with Governor Pavel Malkov reporting six people hospitalized [15]. Zelensky stated that strikes on Wildberries are justified because Moscow uses the platform to bring in sanctioned drone and navigation parts [19]. Professor Ruben Eniklopov of Pompeu Fabra University described the attacks as another blow to Russian small businesses already under pressure from inflation, a budget deficit, and falling oil and gas revenues [27].
Acting Belgorod Governor Alexander Shuvayev characterized the drone strikes as "chaotic" attacks on civilian targets, stating that "there's no military logic in these strikes at all" and that the goal is "to sow panic, create tension and hinder the work of emergency and public utilities services" [13]. Shuvayev stated that over half of the 20,800 Ukrainian drone attacks intercepted in 2026 occurred in the past two months [13]. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov accused Ukraine of expanding the geographical scope of its terrorist attacks [26]. Russian state-aligned analysis has framed Ukrainian attacks as terrorist operations supported by the West, with the goal being political rather than military [24].
On the same night, Russian forces launched 131 drones across Ukraine, with Ukrainian air defenses downing 107, according to the Ukrainian Air Force [4]. Russian attacks killed at least nine people and injured nearly 70 across multiple oblasts, with regional governors reporting casualties in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy [4]. Ukraine's military intelligence agency HUR identified Combat Group 3 of the Russian GROM 'Cascade' brigade as responsible for a drone strike on a Chernihiv supermarket that killed two people including a 9-year-old girl, calling the attack a war crime and stating the drone was equipped with a video camera indicating deliberate targeting [12]. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission reported that June was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine since April 2022, with at least 293 killed and 1,990 injured [4]. The UN Security Council met at Ukraine's request following large-scale Russian attacks on Kyiv and other cities [9].
Romania expelled a Russian embassy member after summoning Ambassador Lipaev and presenting drone fragments from incursions into Romanian airspace, ordering the diplomat to leave within five days [8]. Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Russia bears exclusive responsibility for the incidents and the deterioration of regional security, and recalled Romania's ambassador to Russia for consultations [6]. The Romanian General Prosecutor's Office stated that the first drone shot down on Friday was a Shahed-type model used by the Russian army [8]. EU spokesperson Anouar El Anouni announced that the EU summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires, calling the violation of Romanian airspace a reckless act signaling serious escalation [14]. EU High Representative Kaja Kallas proposed expanding the sanctions list against Russia [14]. The incidents follow an earlier May 29 drone strike that hit an apartment building in Galati, Romania, after which NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu called that earlier crash an unacceptable and blatant violation of Romanian airspace and said Romania would ask NATO to accelerate delivery of military equipment, and a senior Ukrainian military official told Politico the May crash was a deliberate provocation by Moscow, arguing the drone retained enough fuel to suggest it was not simply veering off course [20][21].
Russia's Foreign Ministry categorically rejected the accusations as unfounded propaganda, denied any proof of Russian origin was presented, and stated the expulsion would not go unanswered [8]. Following the May incident, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow would respond swiftly to Bucharest's decision to close the Russian consulate in Constanta [20]. Deputy Security Council Chair Dmitry Medvedev warned European leaders that drones would continue to stray into their countries [20][21].
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces attacked a bulk carrier in the Black Sea and a crane vessel in the port of Mykolaiv, both linked to Ukraine's Armed Forces [11]. Peskov stated that Russian forces "atacan y seguirán atacando buques que transporten municiones, armas y demás para el régimen de Kiev" (attack and will continue to attack ships transporting ammunition, weapons, and other supplies for the Kyiv regime) [11]. The strikes killed four Indian sailors, with Russia stating it is clarifying its position with Indian authorities [11].
China's UN representative Sun Lei urged all parties to maintain contact, cease fire as soon as possible, and seek a comprehensive, lasting, and binding peace agreement through dialogue and negotiation [28]. Separately, a drone attack on the Khor Mor gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan attributed to Iranian drones occurred in the same period, with Trump stating that discussions with Iran are underway and denying reports of weapons shortages [7].
Ukraine's General Staff reported over 80 Russian attacks along the front line, with the Pokrovsk sector remaining the most active area of fighting [16]. Zelensky has stated that his top priority is providing anti-ballistic missile defenses to protect Ukrainian cities [26].