MOSCOW (Diya TV) — A drone attack in the Moscow region killed one Indian worker and injured three others as Ukraine launched one of its largest strikes on Russia since the war began in 2022, Indian and Russian officials said Sunday.
The Indian Embassy in Russia confirmed the death in a post on X. Embassy officials visited the injured workers at a hospital and said they were working with local authorities and company managers to provide support.
“The Embassy condoles the loss of life and is working with the company management and local authorities to provide necessary assistance to the workers,” the embassy said.
The identities of the workers were not released.
Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones toward Russia overnight into Sunday, according to Russian officials. Moscow authorities said air defense systems intercepted many of the drones before they reached the capital.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it destroyed 556 drones over Russia, Crimea, and nearby seas. Officials later claimed Russian forces had shot down or jammed more than 1,000 drones within 24 hours.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian defenses intercepted more than 120 drones headed for the capital. Despite the interceptions, several drones damaged homes, infrastructure, and construction sites around Moscow. The attack marked one of the biggest Ukrainian drone offensives since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian officials reported several deaths in areas surrounding Moscow. Authorities said a woman died after a drone struck her home in Khimki, northwest of the capital. Two men also died in Pogorelki village, north of Moscow. Russian state news agency Tass later reported that drone debris killed two people at a construction site in the Mytishchi district.
Officials did not immediately clarify whether the Indian worker was among the previously reported deaths or if the attack caused an additional fatality. The Russian Embassy in New Delhi also expressed condolences over the Indian worker’s death. The embassy said Ukrainian attacks targeted civilian facilities in the Moscow region.
The attacks also injured at least 12 people in Moscow, officials said. Most injuries occurred near the entrance to the city’s oil refinery.
Sobyanin said the refinery’s core technology systems did not suffer damage. Still, the strikes raised concerns about Ukraine’s growing ability to target strategic sites deep inside Russia. Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, Russia’s busiest airport, said drone debris fell on airport grounds. Officials said flights continued normally and no major damage occurred.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended the strikes and called them justified responses to Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian drones traveled more than 500 kilometers from Ukrainian territory to reach the Moscow region. He also claimed Ukraine was overcoming Russian air defense systems around the capital.
“Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine has increasingly used long-range drones to hit Russian oil facilities, military targets, and infrastructure far from the front lines. Analysts say the attacks aim to weaken Russia’s economy and disrupt energy exports that help fund the war.
Nigel Gould Davies, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the strikes appeared to be retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Kyiv. He said the large-scale drone assault showed Ukraine’s ability to bring the war closer to ordinary Russians.
“The fact that Ukraine is reminding the Moscow population that it is vulnerable to these attacks is likely to intensify the mix of concerns now,” Gould Davies told The Associated Press.
He added that the attacks could deepen anxiety in Russia as the country faces economic pressure, battlefield setbacks, and tighter government control over the internet.
The latest escalation followed the end of a short ceasefire linked to Russia’s Victory Day celebrations on May 9. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating the temporary pause in fighting. Russia also launched heavy drone attacks on Ukraine overnight. Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 287 drones, and Ukrainian defenses shot down or jammed 279 of them.
The strikes injured eight people in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, including residents in Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and the Synelkove district. Emergency officials said the attacks damaged residential buildings in several areas. The Russia-Ukraine war continues to intensify as both sides expand drone warfare and target locations far from the battlefield.
