Ukraine Launches Major Drone Offensive on Russia, Hits Belgorod Region

File photo: A serviceman with Ukraine’s K-2 brigade launches a midrange drone toward Russian positions (Picture credit: AP)

Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone offensives against Russia overnight, sending more than 400 drones towards Moscow and carrying out missile strikes on the Belgorod region, Russian officials said on Tuesday. The attacks came just hours after a deadly Russian missile and drone barrage killed dozens in Ukraine and on the eve of a key Nato summit in Turkey. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 430 Ukrainian drones were launched towards the Moscow region between Sunday evening and early Tuesday morning. "Most were neutralised by air defence forces at distant approaches. Thirty-six enemy UAVs were destroyed on approach to Moscow," he wrote on the state-backed MAX platform, according to news agency AFP. Russian authorities later reported around 14 drones had been intercepted near the capital, with emergency crews deployed to sites where drone debris fell. No casualties or major damage were immediately reported in Moscow.

Belgorod hit, civilian killed

Ukraine also struck Russia's Belgorod region, where acting governor Aleksandr Shuvaev said multiple missile attacks targeted Belgorod city and nearby areas. A civilian was killed in the village of Belovskoye during the first missile strike, while the attacks also triggered a fire at an infrastructure facility in Belgorod city.

Attacks follow deadly Russian barrage

The Ukrainian drone offensive came after Russia launched one of its largest combined missile and drone attacks on Ukraine early Monday. According to Reuters, Russian strikes killed at least 30 people, including 11 in Kyiv, and dozens more were injured. Residential buildings in Kyiv were heavily damaged as emergency crews searched for survivors trapped beneath the rubble. Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 68 missiles and 351 drones during the overnight assault. While Ukrainian forces intercepted most cruise missiles and drones, officials said none of the ballistic missiles was stopped due to a shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles.

Zelensky renews Patriot appeal

Ahead of the Nato summit in Ankara, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again appealed for stronger Western air defence support. "It is critically important that the world -- first and foremost the United States and our European partners -- come out of the Nato Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense," Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy urged the United States to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defence systems under licence. "We have long made the case that we are capable of producing such defensive weapons ourselves. If Ukraine were granted US licenses to produce Patriots, our own production would be sufficient both to protect Ukraine and to help partners in need," he said. Zelenskyy added that Ukrainian forces had successfully intercepted all six Kalibr cruise missiles and 31 of the 33 cruise missiles launched overnight, but stressed that shortages of Patriot interceptors remained the main weakness against Russian ballistic missile attacks.

Nato summit to focus on Ukraine

The escalation comes as Nato leaders prepare to meet in Ankara, where the war in Ukraine is expected to dominate discussions. Zelenskyy is expected to meet US President Donald Trump during the summit before Trump holds separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Washington attempts to revive stalled peace efforts. Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said allies would discuss strengthening the alliance's deterrence, boosting defence production and ensuring continued military assistance to Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have sharply intensified long-range strikes in recent months, with both sides increasingly targeting areas far from the battlefield as the war enters its fifth year.