Russian air defenses intercepted 206 Ukrainian drones during the night of March 17, 40 of them over Moscow, in the fourth consecutive attack on the Russian capital in less than a week. The attacks come as negotiations between the Kremlin and kyiv to end the war, which began with the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, remain without progress.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that air defense systems began to intercept the drones starting at 10:00 p.m. local time. The demolition operations lasted until dawn: between 10:00 p.m. on Monday and 6:15 a.m. on Tuesday, the defenses knocked down 39 additional units over the capital. Ukraine had no official comment on the attacks.
Russian authorities reported no casualties or material damage. The total number of drones launched by kyiv remains uncertain, since Moscow only reports the intercepted units, without giving data on those that eventually hit Russian territory.
The attacks on the night of March 17 are part of a sustained escalation on the Russian capital. Sobyanin had reported on March 16 that more than 250 drones flew over Moscow on March 14, a figure that does not include the most recent attacks. The pattern marks a change in intensity: Moscow is being attacked on consecutive days, something that was not frequently seen in earlier stages of the conflict.
Although Ukraine directs most of its drone attacks against military and industrial facilities on Russian territory, the attacks on Moscow respond to a different logic. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly noted that the goal is to bring the Kremlin’s war to the Russian population, to make the conflict tangible for citizens of the capital, where until now daily life had remained relatively unrelated to the war. The temporary closures of Moscow airports generated by the attacks are part of that strategy.
The escalation on Moscow has direct implications for the state of the negotiations. kyiv is sending a clear signal: it is not willing to negotiate from a position of weakness while remaining active on the battlefield. Each successful attack on the Russian capital increases internal pressure on Putin, who needs to maintain before his own population the narrative that Russia controls the conflict. For kyiv, maintaining that pressure is as important a negotiating tool as any territorial advance, especially at a time when talks are frozen and the diplomatic margin is minimal.
You may be interested: Ukraine redefined the use of small drones: from valuable equipment to disposable ammunition in modern warfare
