▲ A building in the Elektrostal region on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, was destroyed by a Ukrainian drone attack.
Russia and Ukraine are escalating their conflict as both sides exchange attacks targeting each other's capitals.
Following Russia's launch of a massive missile strike against the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, Ukraine responded by launching another wave of drones targeting industrial complexes in the Moscow metropolitan area.
According to foreign media reports, including the British daily The Telegraph, on July 20 (local time), Ukraine launched approximately 400 drones toward the Moscow region from the previous night through the morning of that day.
Videos captured by local residents showed the long-range FP-1 attack drones flying across the sky.
The Ukrainian long-range suicide drone, the FP-1, is known to have a maximum flight range of 1,600 km and can carry a warhead weighing between 60 kg and 120 kg, depending on the distance.
Andrey Vorobyov, the governor of Moscow Oblast, stated that the airstrikes affected areas as far as Domodedovo, located about 37 km from the center of the capital, and the western suburb of Odintsovo.
Domodedovo is home to one of Russia's busiest airports, ranking fourth in passenger traffic.
The Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported that fires broke out in various locations across the Moscow region, including the 138-hectare (1.38 million square meters) Yuzhnye Vrata industrial park.
Immediately following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared footage of the scene on social media, claiming, "Our long-range sanctions have achieved results at logistics facilities and oil depots (in Russia)."
President Zelenskyy emphasized, "We are responding justly to every Russian attack on our cities and communities."
He made it clear that this attack was a retaliatory response to Russia's preemptive strike.
Previously, Moscow had launched its largest-ever ballistic missile attack targeting Kyiv the day before.
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that Russia had fired 41 missiles overnight, 18 of which were intercepted.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank, analyzed that Russia had fired more missiles toward Kyiv this month than it produces in a single month.
As both sides continue to trade retaliatory strikes, the scale of the damage is steadily increasing.
The situation has turned into a war of attrition, with Russia launching missiles in response to Ukrainian attacks on its logistics warehouses, followed by further drone retaliation from Ukraine.
Russian local media reported that on July 18, Ukraine struck a warehouse belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, resulting in 8 deaths and 62 injuries.
A company official stated that the attack may have damaged up to 15% of the total warehouse facility.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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