Ukraine Launches Drone Attack on Russia, Halts Flights Ahead of WWII Anniversary Parade

Strategic Insights -

Just days before a planned parade in Moscow to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, a Ukrainian drone attack halted flights at airports across a wide swath of Russia on Tuesday. The attack, which spanned seven hours and covered a sprawling area of central Russia, was met with air defenses that responded in at least 11 regions, closing 13 airports, including all four major airports serving Moscow. The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the strikes, which were intended to counter Russia's nightly bombardments of Ukraine with long-range drones.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Ukrainian drone attack on Tuesday resulted in the closure of 13 airports, including all four major airports serving Moscow, affecting flights for up to five hours.
  • The attack, which lasted for seven hours, saw air defenses respond in at least 11 regions, shooting down 105 Ukrainian drones.
  • The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the strikes, which were reportedly intended to counter Russia's nightly bombardments of Ukraine with long-range drones.
  • The attack cut electricity to the town of Rylsk in the Kursk region of Russia, wounding two teenagers.
  • Ukraine has been ramping up the manufacture of long-range exploding drones, an answer to the missiles and Iranian-designed drones Russia has been firing since its 2022 invasion.
  • A similar prisoner swap last month saw a total of over 500 soldiers from both sides released, and a major prisoner of war exchange was carried out on Tuesday, with 205 Russian soldiers being released in exchange for the same number of Ukrainians.
  • President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has rejected a proposed three-day truce, calling for a 30-day cease-fire, and the United States has supported this proposal.
  • President Trump has characterized the Russian offer of a three-day cease-fire as a step forward, but General Keith Kellogg, his envoy to Ukraine, has criticized the offer as "absurd" and called for a permanent, comprehensive cease-fire.

Statistics:

  • 13 airports were closed due to the drone attack.
  • Flights were affected for up to five hours.
  • 105 Ukrainian drones were shot down by air defenses.
  • 19 drones were shot down over or near Moscow, according to the mayor of Moscow, Sergei S. Sobyanin.
  • 30.4 flights bound for Moscow diverted away from the capital overnight, according to Rosaviatsia.
  • 2 teenagers were wounded in a strike on an electrical substation in the Kursk region of Russia.
  • Over 500 soldiers from both sides were released in a similar prisoner swap last month.
  • 205 Russian soldiers were released in exchange for the same number of Ukrainians in a major prisoner of war exchange on Tuesday.
  • 256 soldiers were killed or wounded on average for each square mile of territory gained by Russia in the last four months of 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Sources:

  • Russian Ministry of Defense
  • Rosaviatsia, the Russian agency overseeing aviation safety and air traffic control
  • Institute for the Study of War
  • Mayor of Moscow, Sergei S. Sobyanin
  • Baza, a Russian news outlet
  • Ukrainian media
  • United States-based analytical group, the Institute for the Study of War
  • Nataliia Novosolova, contributor to the New York Times