Moscow and Kyiv Both Targeted by Drones During Overnight Strikes

Moscow and Kyiv were both hit with overnight drone strikes on Sunday, which were largely intercepted by anti-aircraft defenses on opposing sides.

As Ukraine prepares for its third winter since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its Eastern European neighbor in February 2022, Kyiv has recently gained a foothold on the eastern bank of Kherson Oblast around the Dnipro River. Meanwhile, Moscow has been focusing on gaining ground in eastern Ukraine as fighting continues around Bakhmut and Donetsk.

Ukrainian forces attempted to strike "facilities of the Russian Federation," but failed, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. The drone "was destroyed by the air defense equipment...over the territory of the Bogorodsky urban district in the Moscow region," according to the defense ministry.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin wrote on Telegram that the failed drone strike "did not cause any damage or casualties."

Meanwhile, Russia also targeted Kyiv by a bombardment of Iranian-made Shahed drones on Sunday, with local authorities reporting "an intensification" of attacks on the Ukrainian capital.

"For the second consecutive day, the enemy attacked the capital with drones," Sergiy Popko, head of the city's military administration, wrote on Telegram. On Saturday, the Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 29 of 38 Shahed drones in a Russian attack.

Popko said that Sunday's drones "were launched in several groups and attacked Kyiv by waves from different directions." However, "no casualties or critical destruction were recorded."

The Ukrainian General Staff added in another statement that "15 of 20 enemy drones were destroyed."

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via online form for comment.

"We are already preparing new steps, security steps, in the coming weeks," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday. "This includes strengthening air defense."

He added: "As winter approaches, there will be more Russian attempts to make the strikes more powerful. It is crucial for all of us in Ukraine to be one hundred percent effective. Despite all the difficulties, Despite all the fatigue. Despite any attempts to weaken Ukraine."

Earlier this week, Ukrainian officials said that Russia has stockpiled over 800 missiles in occupied Crimea, believed to be in preparation for strikes on energy infrastructure.

Natalia Humenyuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Operational Command South, said Thursday on Ukraine's United News that the missiles will be "used by the enemy for the stage of energy terror."

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