Nowhere was entirely safe, even in the capital.
As 2026 begins, Ukraine has transformed its long-range drone campaign into something more deliberate and sustained — striking not just at the front lines but at the heart of Russian daily life, including the skies above Moscow itself. Russia claims its air defences destroyed 437 drones in a single day, a figure that, if accurate, speaks to the sheer scale of what this war has become nearly four years in. The disruption of three major Moscow airports during the holiday season was not merely logistical inconvenience; it was a signal that the costs of this conflict are no longer confined to the battlefield. Ukraine, for its part, frames these strikes not as escalation but as the arithmetic of a war it did not start.
- Russia claims Ukraine has struck Moscow with drones every day since the new year, a tempo that would mark a fundamental shift from sporadic raids to a sustained campaign against the capital.
- Three of Moscow's four major airports shut down on Sunday, stranding travellers mid-journey during the country's busiest holiday period and sending a visceral message about vulnerability.
- The human cost is accumulating on both sides — drone strikes killed people in Russian border regions and wounded civilians in Ukraine's Kharkiv, while a prior Russian missile attack on Kharkiv itself claimed five lives.
- Ukraine's strike on the Energiya battery plant in Lipetsk — a key supplier to Russia's defence sector — reveals a strategy aimed at dismantling the industrial backbone of Russia's war machine, not merely causing disruption.
- The war has entered a phase where Ukraine is no longer purely absorbing blows but systematically raising the economic, logistical, and psychological costs for Moscow, with no clear ceiling in sight.
On the first Sunday of 2026, Russia's defence ministry claimed something striking: Ukraine had launched drone attacks on Moscow every single day since the new year began. By midnight, air defences had reportedly destroyed 57 drones over the Moscow region, part of a broader tally of 437 shot down across Russia. If accurate, it would signal a profound shift — from occasional strikes on the capital to a relentless, deliberate campaign.
The timing compounded the disruption. Three of Moscow's four airports suspended operations as Ukrainian drones crowded the airspace, snarling travel during Russia's extended New Year and Orthodox Christmas holiday. Families were caught mid-journey. The message, intended or not, was plain: the war had come home.
Ukraine has not publicly addressed the claim of daily strikes, but the pattern reflects a strategy Kyiv has pursued with growing intensity — using long-range drones to reach deep into Russian territory, targeting military logistics, energy infrastructure, and defence industry facilities. Ukrainian officials frame these operations as proportional responses to years of Russian bombardment, and as a means of raising the costs of a war Russia initiated nearly four years ago.
The human toll continued on both sides. In Russia's border regions, drone strikes killed two people on Sunday, including one in Belgorod where a car was hit, wounding a young child. In Ukraine's Kharkiv region, three people were wounded overnight, while the death toll from a Russian missile strike on Kharkiv earlier in the week climbed to five as rescue workers recovered additional remains.
One strike carried particular strategic weight: a Ukrainian drone ignited a fire at the Energiya battery plant in Yelets, Lipetsk region — a significant supplier of batteries to Russia's defence sector. No casualties were reported, but the intent was clear. Ukraine is not striking at random. It is methodically targeting the industrial infrastructure that sustains Russia's war machine.
Whether the claimed daily tempo of Moscow strikes reflects a temporary surge or a new baseline remains uncertain. What is no longer in doubt is that the war has entered a phase in which Russia's capital is a regular target, and Ukraine's strategy has shifted from territorial defence toward the sustained erosion of an aggressor's capacity and will to fight.
On the first Sunday of 2026, Russia's defence ministry made a stark claim: Ukraine had launched drone attacks on Moscow every single day since the new year began. By midnight, the ministry said air defence systems had destroyed 57 drones over the Moscow region alone, part of a larger tally of 437 drones shot down across all of Russia. If the claim holds, it would represent a marked shift in the rhythm of this war—from sporadic strikes on the Russian capital to a relentless daily campaign.
The timing could hardly be worse for Moscow. Three of the city's four airports shut down to air traffic on Sunday as Ukrainian drones flooded the airspace. Vnukovo, the second-busiest airport in the capital, experienced cascading delays. The disruption landed squarely during Russia's extended New Year and Orthodox Christmas holiday, when the country's transport networks are already strained by domestic and international travel. Families were mid-journey. Business was disrupted. The message, whether intended or not, was clear: nowhere was entirely safe.
Ukraine has not publicly commented on the specific claim of daily attacks, but the pattern fits a strategy Kyiv has been pursuing with increasing intensity. Long-range drones, launched from Ukrainian territory, have become a tool for striking deep into Russia—targeting military supply lines, energy infrastructure, and defence industry facilities. Ukrainian officials frame these attacks as proportional responses to years of Russian missile and drone bombardment, and as a way to raise the economic and logistical costs of a war that Russia initiated nearly four years ago.
The human toll continued to mount on both sides. In the Russian border regions, two people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes on Sunday. In Belgorod, a drone hit a car, killing one person and wounding two others, including a young child. Another person died in a separate strike on a village in Kursk region. Meanwhile, across the border in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, three people were wounded in overnight drone strikes. The death count from a Russian missile attack on Kharkiv itself, carried out on Friday, rose to five when rescue workers found additional remains beneath the rubble of a damaged building.
One strike in particular underscored Ukraine's focus on degrading Russia's military-industrial base. A Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire in an industrial zone in Yelets, a town in Russia's Lipetsk region. The Energiya battery plant, located there, is a major supplier of batteries and accumulators to Russia's defence sector. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for hitting the facility before. No casualties were reported in the Yelets strike, but the message was unmistakable: Ukraine is not simply trying to inflict pain on Russian civilians or disrupt holiday travel. It is systematically targeting the infrastructure that sustains Russia's war machine.
What remains unclear is whether Russia's claim of daily attacks on Moscow will hold, or whether it reflects a temporary surge in Ukrainian operations. Either way, the war has entered a new phase—one in which the Russian capital itself has become a regular target, and in which Ukraine's strategy has shifted from defending territory to imposing costs on the aggressor. The question now is whether Moscow can sustain both the military pressure and the domestic disruption that comes with it.
Citas Notables
Ukraine says such attacks aim to disrupt military logistics and energy infrastructure, raise costs for Moscow's war effort and respond to repeated Russian missile and drone attacks— Ukrainian officials (via reporting)
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Ukraine escalate drone attacks on Moscow specifically, rather than focus on the front lines where the fighting is heaviest?
Because the war isn't just about territory anymore. If you can disrupt Moscow's airports, damage the battery plants that supply Russian weapons, force the defence ministry to spend resources on air defence—you're raising the cost of the war for Russia in ways that matter beyond the battlefield.
But doesn't attacking civilian infrastructure risk turning Russian public opinion against Ukraine?
That's the calculation Ukraine is making. They'd argue these aren't civilian targets—airports serve military transport, the battery plant supplies the defence industry. And they'd point out that Russia has been striking Ukrainian cities for nearly four years. This is response, not initiation.
The timing during the holiday period seems deliberate. Is that strategic, or coincidence?
Almost certainly deliberate. When airports are busiest, when the country is moving, when people are travelling—that's when disruption hurts most. It's not just about the military logistics. It's about making the war feel present, inescapable, costly to ordinary Russians.
How sustainable is this pace? Can Ukraine really maintain daily attacks on Moscow?
That's the real question. Russia claims it's happening daily, but we don't have independent verification. Even if it's true, sustaining that requires drones, fuel, targeting intelligence. Ukraine has shown remarkable ingenuity, but resources are finite. This could be a surge, or it could be the new normal.
What does this say about where the war is headed?
It suggests Ukraine has shifted from a defensive posture to an offensive one—not territorially, but strategically. They're no longer just trying to hold ground. They're trying to make Russia's war effort unsustainable. That's a different kind of war.