Moscow accuses Kiev of massive drone attack on Russia

Russian authorities said Ukraine launched a massive drone attack early Sunday morning that hit several regions of Russia, including power plants and refineries in Moscow and the nearby city of Tver.

Russia says air defenses intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding area. Forty-six drones were intercepted over Kursk, where Ukrainian activity has increased.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that falling debris from two drones caused a fire at an oil refinery. He said the fire broke out in a “separate technical room” at the plant, but that operations were not affected.

The state news agency TASS later quoted emergency services as saying the fire had been contained.

Three drones attempted to attack a coal-fired power plant in Kashira, but no injuries or damage were reported.

An independent confirmation of the Russian reports was not possible. There was initially no comment from Ukraine.

In addition, more than 40 people, including five children, were injured in Russian missile attacks on the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. According to local authorities, one person was killed and four injured in nighttime shelling in the Sumy region.

Rescue workers carry a wounded man after a Russian missile attack on a sports complex in Kharkiv, Ukraine, September 1, 2024.

Elsewhere, at least three people were killed and nine injured in Russian artillery shelling in Kurakhove, about 33 kilometers south of Pokrovsk, on Sunday, Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin said.

The Ukrainian Air Force also shot down eight of eleven drones that Russia launched overnight.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling for more modern Western missiles to be aimed deeper into Russian territory.

In addition, it has been almost a month since Ukraine launched an offensive in Russia's Kursk region, while there are reports that Russian troops are advancing in eastern Ukraine, especially in the Donetsk region.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday it had taken control of the towns of Pivnichne and Vyimka in Ukraine's Donetsk region. The Associated Press could not independently verify that claim.

Russian forces are advancing deeper into the partially occupied eastern region. One of the Kremlin's main goals is to completely conquer the area. The Russian army is moving ever closer to Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub for the Ukrainian military in the region.

Kyiv is pressing Washington to lift restrictions on the use of allied weapons to launch attacks deep inside Russia. Ukraine argues that such attacks would significantly complicate Moscow's ability to continue its attacks on Ukraine.

Senior representatives of the Zelensky government were in Washington last week and appealed to the United States, as Zelensky put it, to demonstrate the ability to protect his country “really and comprehensively.”

Some information for this report comes from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.

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