Ukraine Drones Target 16 Russian Regions in 'Largest' Attack of War

Ukrainian drones reportedly targeted 16 Russian regions over the weekend, marking Kyiv's "largest" attack on Russian soil in the war so far, a think tank said.

"Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted the largest series of drone strikes against targets within Russia on the night of August 31 to September 1," the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said in its latest analysis of the conflict on Sunday.

Russia's defense ministry said 15 regions had been targeted by Ukrainian drones, and one governor said a drone was shot down over his region as well. The ministry reported Sunday that Russia's air defense systems had destroyed and intercepted 158 Ukrainian drones, including 46 over the Kursk region, where a large-scale Ukrainian incursion is ongoing; 34 over Bryansk; 28 over Voronezh; and 14 over Belgorod.

Drones were also reportedly downed over Moscow City and the Moscow region, Ryazan, Kaluga, Lipetsk, Tula, Tambov, Smolensk, Oryol, Tver, Ivanovo and Yaroslavl.

Sergei Sobyanin, Moscow's mayor, said falling drone debris caused a fire at an oil refinery. No casualties were reported.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's defense ministry for additional comment by email.

Ukraine previously targeted eight Russian regions with 117 drones on August 14, Russia's defense ministry said.

The latest drone attack came after Russian forces targeted Kyiv multiple times in just days. On August 26, Russia's missile and drone barrage on Ukraine killed at least five people and ravaged the country's energy infrastructure. It involved more than 100 missiles and 100 drones, and was described by Ukrainian officials as one of the largest launched by Russia since its full-scale invasion began.

"Like most Russian strikes before, this one was equally insidious, targeting critical civilian infrastructure," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the attack on X. "The energy sector has sustained significant damage, but in every area affected by power outages, restoration work is already in progress."

Russia "launched a massive combined attack" on Ukraine "using various types of air-, land- and sea-based missiles," Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk, who was Ukraine's Air Force Commander before his sudden dismissal last week, said at the time.

He added that Russia used 109 Shahed attack drones; 77 Kh-101 cruise missiles; three Kh-22 cruise missiles; 28 Kalibr submarine-launched cruise missiles; six Iskander-M ballistic missiles; three Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles; and 10 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided missiles.

The Russian attacks sparked a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on August 28, where members pledged to boost military aid to the war-torn country.

Zelensky said Sunday that "it is entirely justified for Ukrainians to respond to Russian terror by any means necessary to stop it."

"Every day and night, our cities and villages endure enemy attacks," he said in a post on X.

"Just in the past week, Russia has launched over 160 missiles of various types, 780 guided aerial bombs, and 400 strike UAVs of different kinds against our people."

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