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Russia Says Ukraine Sent More Than 400 Drones Toward Moscow as Fires Spread Near the Capital: Russia says Ukraine sent more than 400 drones toward Moscow and the surrounding region overnight into July 20, wounding 10 people and setting buildings on fire. A Reuters report on the attack said fires and damage were reported in Domodedovo, south of the capital, while smoke rose over Podolsk.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the operation ran from about 8:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. and that 85 drones were destroyed while approaching the capital. Russia’s Defense Ministry separately claimed that air defenses intercepted 381 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. The two Russian totals cover different geographic descriptions, and neither has been independently verified.
Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said seven people, including three Chinese nationals, were wounded in Domodedovo. A fire broke out at the Yuzhnye Vorota industrial park, and a residential building was also struck. The Associated Press reported 10 wounded across the Moscow region, while a separate drone attack killed one person and injured four in Belgorod.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces targeted logistics facilities and an oil depot in the Moscow region more than 400 kilometers from Ukraine’s border. His official July 20 statement did not identify every site or provide a damage assessment. Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, evacuated a logistics center in Podolsk as a precaution and later resumed operations.
Ukraine Is Turning Moscow Into a Regular Air-Defense Mission for Russia
The July 20 operation followed another large wave only days earlier. On July 14, Sobyanin said 340 drones had been sent toward Moscow over a 24-hour period, with more than 50 destroyed on the way to the capital. Four days later, Russian authorities said 379 drones were intercepted nationwide as strikes hit Wildberries warehouses and an oil depot in the wider Moscow region.
Ukraine has made attacks on the capital region a recurring requirement for Russia’s air-defense network. Moscow has been hit on repeated nights by long-range drones, while Russia has ringed the capital with layered air defenses. The latest operation required Russian crews to track incoming drones for more than eight hours.
Russia Faces Damage Even With High Interception Claims
Russia’s claimed interception totals are high, but a large operation does not require most drones to reach their targets. A small share can still damage industrial buildings, fuel infrastructure, homes, or electrical systems. Intercepted drones can also create falling debris, leaving authorities with fires and evacuations even when an engagement succeeds.
The repeated operations increase demand for radar coverage, alert crews, and interceptor missiles across a wide area. The frequency of the attacks is placing sustained pressure on Russia’s air-defense inventory and forcing Moscow to decide which infrastructure receives the strongest protection. The Kremlin has moved additional defenses toward the capital, while Ukrainian drones have reached refineries as far away as Siberia.
Ukraine Is Targeting Logistics and Oil Near Moscow
Zelensky’s statement placed logistics facilities and an oil depot at the center of the July 20 operation. Ukraine has accused some Wildberries facilities of handling sanctioned components used in Russian drone production and navigation equipment. Wildberries has not confirmed that its sites perform a military role.
The same dispute followed the July 18 attacks, when seven workers were killed at a Wildberries warehouse in Russia’s Tambov region, and dozens were wounded in separate strikes. Ukraine said the facilities supported military supply chains. Russian officials described the attacks as strikes on civilian commercial sites.
Ukraine’s wider campaign is intended to raise the cost of sustaining the war. Oil depots, refineries, warehouses, transportation hubs, and military airfields create different demands on Russia’s defenses. Kyiv does not have to permanently disable every facility to force inspections, evacuations, production pauses, and the deployment of additional defensive units.
Russia’s Main Problem Is the Frequency of the Attacks
The latest operation came less than a week after the 340-drone wave and two days after another nationwide attack involving 379 drones, according to Russia’s figures. The numbers are difficult to verify, but the sequence shows that Ukraine can organize repeated long-range operations involving hundreds of unmanned aircraft.
Russia prevented most reported drones from reaching the capital, according to its own account. Fires in Domodedovo and Podolsk, the evacuation of a major logistics center, and injuries reported by regional officials indicate ongoing pressure. The next evidence will come from satellite imagery, company operating updates, airport restrictions, and any movement of additional Russian air-defense systems.
Moscow remains heavily defended as of July 20. The next measure is whether Russia can keep the capital region’s logistics and energy sites operating normally while Ukraine continues sending large drone waves toward them.
About the Author: Harry J. Kazianis
Harry J. Kazianis (@Grecianformula) was the former Senior Director of National Security Affairs at the Center for the National Interest (CFTNI), a foreign policy think tank founded by Richard Nixon based in Washington, DC. Harry has over a decade of experience in think tanks and national security publishing. His ideas have been published in the NY Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and many other outlets worldwide. He has held positions at CSIS, the Heritage Foundation, the University of Nottingham, and several other institutions related to national security research and studies. He is the former Executive Editor of the National Interest and the Diplomat. He holds a Master's degree focusing on international affairs from Harvard University.
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