This provided photograph, shared on Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov’s official Telegram channel on May 17, 2026, depicts a structure ablaze following an aerial assault at an undisclosed location within the Moscow region, amidst the continued Russian-Ukrainian hostilities. @vorobiev_live/Telegram via AFP via Getty Images
LONDON and MOSCOW — Ukraine initiated an overnight barrage of over 550 drones, aiming at upwards of a dozen Russian regions, including Moscow, according to Russian authorities. This lethal attack represents one of the most expansive aerial offensives directed at the capital vicinity since the commencement of the war.
Ukraine dispatched roughly 556 drones that were “intercepted and neutralized” during a nine-hour span ending early Sunday, communicated the Russian Ministry of Defense via the Telegram platform.
People stand in front of an apartment building damaged during a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Krasnogorsk, in the Moscow region, Russia May 17, 2026.Stringer/Reuters
At least three individuals perished in the Moscow region, as stated by local representatives. Reuters indicated that the number of fatalities had risen to four.
The drone deployments, lacking immediate affirmation from Ukraine, followed a prior declaration made on Friday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who conveyed that Kyiv was “identifying targets for our forthcoming long-range sanctions.”
In this handout photograph posted on the official Telegram channel of Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov on May 17, 2026, Russian rescuers work in a heavily damaged house following an air attack at an undisclosed location in the Moscow region, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict.@vorobiev_live/telegram via AFP via Getty Images
“Ukraine will not permit any strikes by the aggressor that claim the lives of our citizens to pass without retribution,” affirmed Zelenskyy on social media this past Friday. “We are entirely justified in our retaliations against Russia’s petroleum sector, military manufacturing, and those bearing direct accountability for perpetrating war crimes against Ukraine and its people.”
Zelenskyy stated on Sunday morning that during the previous week, Russia had launched over 3,170 offensive drones, exceeding 1,300 guided aerial projectiles, in addition to 74 missiles directed at Ukraine.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com