The Ukraine-Russia conflict has taken a new turn as Kyiv intensifies its drone attacks on Russian targets, marking a significant escalation in the war. Moscow's defense ministry has accused Ukraine of launching drones at the capital daily in 2026, a stark contrast to the earlier, more sporadic attacks. By Sunday midnight, Russian air defense systems had destroyed 57 drones over the Moscow region out of 437 downed over Russia, according to the ministry. While Ukraine has not immediately commented, it's known for using long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory, aiming to disrupt military logistics, energy infrastructure, and raise the costs for Moscow's war effort. This comes in response to Russia's repeated missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, which began nearly four years ago.
The impact of these attacks is far-reaching. Three out of four of Moscow's airports were shut down to air traffic on Sunday due to Ukraine's drone strikes, causing multiple flight delays. This disruption occurred during Russia's extended New Year and Orthodox Christmas break, a period when many Russians travel domestically and internationally, making it one of the country's busiest times for transport and tourism. The strikes also resulted in casualties; two people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes in Russian border regions, with one death and two injuries in Belgorod, including a young child, and another death in a drone strike on a village in the Kursk region.
In Ukraine, three people were wounded in the Kharkiv region in drone strikes overnight into Sunday. The death toll from a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv on Friday increased to five when body parts were found under the rubble of a building. Additionally, a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire in an industrial zone in the town of Yelets in Russia's Lipetsk region, though there were no casualties reported. Yelets is home to the Energiya battery plant, a major producer of batteries and accumulators for Russia's defense industry, which Ukraine has targeted in the past. This escalation in drone attacks raises questions about the future of the conflict and the potential for further escalation, leaving many to wonder what comes next in this ongoing war.
