Russia reported Tuesday on yet another massive drone attack launched against it by Ukraine overnight, with about 800 drones intercepted — at least 600 of them targeting the Moscow region. Although no significant damage was reported this time, the attack came just two days after another massive attack involving about 600 drones targeting Moscow. It underscores the sharp escalation in Kyiv’s long-range strike campaign, which seeks not only to severely disrupt the Kremlin’s war machine but also to damage the Russian economy and make Russian civilians feel the cost of the war firsthand, thereby increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin to end it.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday morning that a total of 791 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight in several regions, including Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia seized and annexed in 2014, as well as over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. It did not say how many drones were launched in total, but based on the number intercepted alone, the attack was the second-largest against Russia since January 2025. The Moscow region was the main target: Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 600 drones were launched toward the capital, 180 of which were intercepted, according to him.
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Putin, a Ukrainian soldier with a drone before launch — and damage deep inside Russia
(Photo: Sirena Telegram channel via AP, Diego Fedele/Getty Images)
It was not immediately clear whether any damage was caused, but authorities in the Moscow region reported three people wounded, including a 10-year-old girl. A warehouse belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries was also damaged Tuesday morning. Several of the company’s warehouses have been engulfed in huge plumes of smoke in recent weeks as part of a targeted Ukrainian campaign against it. The company said Tuesday that the damage to one of its logistics facilities in the Moscow region was “minor.”
Against the backdrop of intensifying Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia — which have disrupted its economy and caused significant damage to its oil and fuel industry — Moscow is now threatening retaliation against Britain, following a report in The Times that British-made drones have also been used by Ukraine in the attacks over the past six months. According to the report, the British drones helped Kyiv strike refineries in Volgograd and the Moscow region, among other targets.
A Ukrainian FP-2 drone launched from the Kharkiv region on Monday
(Photo: REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova)
The Times reported that the attacks deep inside Russia have already caused an estimated $47 billion in damage. Citing Ukrainian sources among others, the report said two types of British-made drones supplied to Ukraine are being used in the attacks. One, known as the Nyan and manufactured by British defense company BAE Systems, has a range of up to about 240 kilometers (150 miles) and can carry a payload of up to 20 kilograms (44 pounds). The identity of the second drone was not disclosed “for security reasons,” but according to the report it has a range of up to 965 kilometers (600 miles).
The development represents a significant shift for London, which is one of Kyiv’s largest European arms suppliers and has provided it with long-range Storm Shadow missiles, among other weapons. But those were supplied on a relatively limited scale and caused comparatively little damage in Russia, unlike the drones that Kyiv is now using to create a genuine crisis there. Long lines have been seen outside gas stations in Russia this summer amid fuel shortages caused by strikes on refineries.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham with Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian president’s visit to Britain last month, shortly after Burnham took office
(Photo: Simon Jones / POOL / AFP)
(Photo: Simon Jones / POOL / AFP)
Britain for a long time restricted the extent to which Ukraine could use its weapons deep inside Russia, amid repeated threats from Moscow of a harsh response. But London, together with the United States, eased those restrictions in late 2024, and it now appears they have been loosened further. The report comes after Britain’s Defense Ministry announced in June that it planned to complete a massive aid package this year that would provide Ukraine with 150,000 drones worth $996 million.
“Russia has been very effective at frightening the West about hitting it too hard. What these attacks mean is that Britain is effectively signaling to Russia and our allies that we are no longer afraid,” a senior security official told The Times on condition of anonymity.
A senior Ukrainian military official who, according to the newspaper, has extensive knowledge of attacks deep inside Russia said Kyiv’s forces rely primarily on Ukrainian-made drones but have achieved significant success using British-made drones.
The report, which was not denied by the British government and was later confirmed by a military source who spoke to the BBC, prompted a sharp statement Monday night from Russia’s embassy in Britain, which threatened that the country would “pay” for the assistance.
“Reports that the Kiev regime is using British drones to carry out strikes deep inside Russian territory confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis, while hypocritically professing a desire for peace,” the embassy said.
Evacuation of casualties from today's Russian missile attack in the village of Pechenihi, Kharkiv region
(Photo: AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
(Photo: AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
(Photo:Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region/Handout via REUTERS)
“The United Kingdom is acting as an accomplice and co-perpetrator of the bloody crimes and terrorist attacks committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis, seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy. London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer. The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay,” the embassy said.
Despite the threat, Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, pledged Tuesday afternoon to continue providing full backing to Ukraine. Without explicitly saying so, he appeared to confirm the report about the use of British drones in attacks on Russian territory.
“This is the UK doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100% against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin,” he told reporters.
“We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that's been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers. It remains the case with me. We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine's hour of need, and that won't change.”
Burnham’s remarks followed a statement from the British Defense Ministry earlier Tuesday responding to the Russian threat and saying there would be no change in London’s military support for Kyiv.
“Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, and we are committed to providing it with the equipment it needs to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion,” a ministry spokesman said.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued across Ukraine, with 17 people reported killed in strikes on several cities Tuesday. The deadliest attack took place in the village of Pechenihy in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, where 10 people were killed by two Russian missiles that destroyed homes, a cafe and an office building.
Yevhenii Khmara
(Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS )
Three more people were killed in the Sumy region, two in Zaporizhzhia and two in Kherson.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack on Pechenihy “barbaric” and wrote on X: “We will definitely respond to this Russian strike. And it is no less important that our partners also complement our justified kinetic responses with their own steps to increase pressure on Russia and support Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine reported that Zelenskyy had submitted Yevhenii Khmara’s nomination to parliament for approval as permanent defense minister. Khmara has served as acting defense minister since the ouster last month of former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, a move that sparked anger in Ukraine and triggered a rare wave of protests against Zelenskyy because of Fedorov’s popularity among many young Ukrainians.
Khmara is a senior official in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). Before being appointed acting defense minister last month, he headed the service for about six months, also in an acting capacity.