Ukraine has sent drones into Moscow every day of 2026 so far
In the opening days of 2026, Ukraine appears to have transformed its long-range drone campaign from periodic disruption into something closer to a daily discipline — striking Moscow's airspace each morning as if to mark the calendar of a war now entering its second thousand days. The scale, with hundreds of drones downed across Russia on a single Sunday, and the timing — chosen to fracture the peace of a holiday season — suggest a deliberate strategy of exhaustion rather than a single decisive blow. On both sides, the dead and wounded accumulate quietly, while airports close and rescue workers sift through rubble, and neither capital shows any sign of turning toward the table.
- Ukraine has struck Moscow's airspace every day since the new year began, signaling a shift from sporadic raids to what looks like a sustained, coordinated pressure campaign.
- On Sunday alone, Russian air defences claimed to have destroyed 437 drones nationwide, a figure that — if accurate — points to an operation of unprecedented scale and logistical ambition.
- Three of Moscow's four major airports shut down during Russia's peak holiday travel season, grounding flights and stranding civilians at the precise moment the country was trying to breathe normally.
- Ukrainian planners appear to be targeting Russia's military-industrial backbone deliberately — including the Energiya battery plant in Yelets, a key supplier to Russia's defence sector.
- The human cost is accumulating on both sides: at least five dead from a Russian missile strike on Kharkiv, and civilians killed and wounded in Russian border regions struck by Ukrainian drones.
- With no signals of negotiation from either capital, the early days of 2026 suggest both sides are recalibrating not for an ending, but for a longer, costlier war of attrition.
Ukraine has launched drone strikes into Moscow's airspace every day since the new year began, according to Russia's defence ministry — a rhythm that marks a visible change in the war's character. Where strikes on the Russian capital were once occasional and startling, they now appear to be part of a deliberate daily campaign. On Sunday alone, Russian air defences reported destroying 57 drones over the Moscow region and 437 across the country as a whole.
The timing was pointed. Russia's extended New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays had filled airports and transport networks with travellers. Three of Moscow's four major airports shut down in response to the drone waves, with Vnukovo — the city's second-busiest — experiencing significant delays and cancellations. For a country already worn by nearly four years of war, the disruption landed at the moment civilians most needed ordinary life to hold.
Kyiv has not officially confirmed the daily targeting, but the pattern aligns with months of Ukrainian strategy: using long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory, targeting military supply lines, energy infrastructure, and defence production. One strike hit an industrial zone in Yelets, in Russia's Lipetsk region, setting fire to facilities connected to the Energiya battery plant — a significant supplier to Russia's military. The choice of target was not incidental.
The human cost fell on both sides. In Russia's Belgorod region, a drone struck a car, killing one person and wounding two others, including a child. Another person died in Kursk. In Ukraine, overnight drone attacks wounded three in the Kharkiv region, while the death toll from a Russian missile strike on Kharkiv city rose to five as rescue workers recovered more remains from a collapsed building.
What the first days of 2026 reveal is a war that has shifted into a different register — not louder, exactly, but more relentless. The drone strikes are no longer surprises; they are a rhythm. They erode civilian normalcy, degrade military capacity, and demonstrate Ukraine's reach into Russia's interior. As the conflict passes its second thousand days, the escalation carries a clear message: neither side is preparing to stop.
On the first days of 2026, Ukraine has sent drones into Moscow's airspace every single day, according to Russia's defence ministry. The claim marks a visible shift in the rhythm of the war—from sporadic strikes on the Russian capital to what appears to be a sustained campaign. On Sunday alone, Russian air defence systems reported destroying 57 drones over the Moscow region and 437 across the entire country. The numbers, if accurate, suggest a scale of attack that has grown beyond the occasional raid.
The strikes arrived during one of Russia's busiest travel periods. The extended New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays had filled airports and roads with Russians heading out for vacations. Three of Moscow's four major airports shut down on Sunday after the drone waves came through. Vnukovo, the city's second-busiest airport, experienced significant delays. Flights were cancelled or postponed as air defence systems worked overhead. For a country already stretched by nearly four years of war, the disruption hit at a moment when the civilian economy was trying to function normally.
Ukraine has not officially commented on the daily targeting claim, but the pattern fits with what Kyiv has been doing for months: using long-range drones to strike deep into Russian territory. Ukrainian officials say the goal is straightforward—to damage military supply lines, destroy energy infrastructure, and make the war more expensive for Moscow to sustain. Each attack is framed as a response to Russian missile and drone strikes that have pounded Ukrainian cities since the invasion began in 2022.
The human toll appeared on both sides. In the Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone hit a car, killing one person and wounding two others, including a child. Another person died in a separate strike on a village in Kursk. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, three people were wounded in overnight drone attacks on the Kharkiv region. The death count from a Russian missile strike on Kharkiv itself rose to five when rescue workers found additional remains under the rubble of a building on Sunday.
One strike hit an industrial zone in the town of Yelets, in Russia's Lipetsk region, starting a fire but causing no reported deaths. The target mattered: Yelets is home to the Energiya battery plant, a major supplier of batteries and accumulators to Russia's defence industry. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for hitting the facility before. The pattern suggests Ukrainian planners are not choosing targets randomly—they are mapping Russia's military production and hitting it where it lives.
What emerges from these first days of the year is a war that has shifted into a different gear. The drone strikes are no longer occasional surprises but appear to be part of a coordinated campaign timed to maximum effect. They disrupt civilian life, damage military capacity, and send a message about Ukraine's ability to reach into Russia's heartland. As the conflict enters its second thousand days, the escalation suggests neither side is moving toward negotiation. Instead, both are preparing for a longer fight.
Notable Quotes
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 statement)
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does Ukraine keep hitting Moscow specifically? It's the capital—it's not a military base.
It's not about the city itself. It's about what Moscow represents as a hub. Airports, logistics centres, energy infrastructure—all the things that keep a war machine running. Hit the capital and you hit morale too. You show Russians that the war isn't something distant.
But Russia says they're shooting down 437 drones in a day. If Ukraine is losing that many, how sustainable is this?
That's the question nobody can answer yet. Russia claims the numbers; Ukraine doesn't confirm or deny. The real question is whether Ukraine has the production capacity to keep this up, or whether they're burning through stockpiles. Either way, they're clearly betting the cost is worth it.
The timing during the holidays seems deliberate.
It is. You hit during peak travel season and you disrupt the entire country's ability to move. You also hit people when they're thinking about vacation, not war. It's psychological as much as military.
What about the battery plant? That seems like a real strategic target.
Exactly. That's not random. Ukraine is mapping Russia's defence production and hitting it systematically. The Energiya plant makes components Russia needs. Destroy enough of those and you slow down weapons production. It's a long game.
Do you think this escalation means the war is getting worse?
It means both sides have stopped waiting for the other to break. Ukraine is taking the fight to Russia's territory. Russia is responding with more air defence and more strikes on Ukrainian cities. Neither is blinking. That's what escalation looks like.