Ukraine Hits Moscow With Hundreds of Drones and Missiles, Exposing Russia's Air Defense Gaps
Updated
Updated · The Atlantic · May 23
Ukraine Hits Moscow With Hundreds of Drones and Missiles, Exposing Russia's Air Defense Gaps
4 articles · Updated · The Atlantic · May 23
Hundreds of Ukrainian drones and cruise missiles struck Moscow a week after Russia’s pared-down Victory Day parade, puncturing the Kremlin’s claim that the capital can stay insulated from the war.
The barrage was framed as retaliation for a mass Russian attack on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities two days earlier, and it suggested multiple defensive rings around Moscow had been penetrated.
Strategic sites were hit, including an electronics-component factory and oil infrastructure, while Moscow’s main airport temporarily shut down, underscoring the attack’s reach into daily life and industry.
Videos of shocked residents and forced coverage in Russian newspapers have widened the political impact despite censorship, raising pressure on Vladimir Putin to acknowledge the war’s costs at home.
The strike does not mean Russia will quickly collapse, but it points to a broader shift: Ukraine’s long-range capabilities appear to be improving as Russia looks increasingly vulnerable even in its capital.
As Moscow's skies prove vulnerable, is Putin losing the information war on his own home front?
With its air defenses shattered, how can Russia protect its heartland from Ukraine's drone onslaught?
Has Ukraine’s rise as a drone superpower permanently shifted the dynamics of the war in its favor?