Ukrainian forces launched an unprecedented drone attack against Moscow Oblast on August 15 and 16, according to Russian Foreign Ministry official Rodion Miroshnik.
Miroshnik told state news agency RIA Novosti that Russian air defence units destroyed and suppressed at least 209 unmanned aerial vehicles over Moscow and the surrounding region during the two-day series of strikes.
The raids caused major fires at logistics facilities and damaged civilian infrastructure across the area, Miroshnik said. Eight civilians were injured in the attacks, including a nine-year-old boy, while an 83-year-old man was killed.
Record aerial barrage across Russian regions
Official reports stated that the air attack on the night of August 15 to 16 was the most massive aerial assault by Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the year. Air defence systems destroyed 822 drones over Russian regions during that single night.
Prior to this assault, the largest drone attack of 2026 occurred on June 26. During that previous incident, Russian air defence forces shot down and intercepted 660 drones across various regions of the country.
Moscow Oblast is the federal subject that surrounds the Russian capital of Moscow, housing key industrial centers, logistics facilities and transportation networks. Miroshnik holds the post of ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, where he handles special diplomatic assignments.
Proposal to relocate border residents
The latest strikes follow earlier discussions among Russian lawmakers concerning the safety of civilians in vulnerable areas. Andrey Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma Defence Committee, previously proposed moving residents from border regions into vacant houses to protect them from shelling by Ukrainian forces.
The State Duma is the elected lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, which drafts national legislation and oversees defense policies. Border areas in western Russia have repeatedly faced cross-border artillery shelling and drone strikes.
