Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Russia

Telegraph

28-05-2025

Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Russia overnight, hitting a key microelectronics plant and forcing multiple Moscow airports to close.
Kyiv struck the Mikron factory in Zelenograd, which produces microelectronics and semiconductors used to develop missile, air defence and radar systems.
Russia said thirteen regions were targeted, including Moscow, Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver and Tula.
The Kremlin's defence ministry said it shot down 296 drones, including 40 heading for the capital, affecting air travel for hours.
It said: 'During the last night... anti-aircraft defence systems destroyed and intercepted 296 Ukrainian aerial drones.'
There were no immediate reports of any casualties.
Russia's federal air transport agency said flights were temporarily suspended at Moscow's Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo airports.
Ukraine is yet to comment. If Russia's numbers are accurate, the strikes would represent one of the largest drone attacks of the war so far by Kyiv, which has stepped up aerial assaults on Russia in recent weeks.
In an interview published on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, warned that Vladimir Putin was preparing to launch 1,000 drones at Ukraine in a single attack.
Mr Zelensky claimed that Russia had the capacity to launch around 350 Iranian-made Shahed drones every day, and that it wanted to boost this figure to 500.
He told reporters: 'I don't take the figure of 1,000 drones a day as constant, but I understand they could stockpile and launch a massive attack.'
The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was working on new technology to counter the increasing drone threat from Russia, which launched 900 drones in the three days up to Monday.
'We're already using them. The question now is how fast we can scale,' Mr Zelensky added, emphasising the importance of international financial support, especially from Germany.
Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky continued to warn that Russia was amassing 'more than 50,000 troops' on the front line around the north-eastern Sumy border region.
Russian forces captured four villages in Sumy after Putin ordered his troops to carve out a buffer zone along the border.
'Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front,' Mr Zelensky told reporters, adding: 'To push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region.'
The Ukrainian president later called for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Putin after the Russian leader failed to show up at peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month.
'If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don't mind. I am ready for any format,' Mr Zelensky said in comments published this morning.
The Ukrainian president also said he would 'very much like' Mr Trump to hit Russia's banking and energy sectors with sanctions in response to a wave of aerial attacks and Moscow's refusal to agree to a ceasefire.
Mr Trump continued to criticise Putin on Tuesday, warning that he was playing with fire and cautioned that 'really bad' things would have happened already to Russia if it were not for Mr Trump himself.
Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official and Russia's former president, dismissed Mr Trump's criticism and threatened a third world war.
He wrote in English on X: 'Regarding Trump's words about Putin 'playing with fire' and 'really bad things' happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!'
Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump's envoy, quoted Medvedev's post and said it was reckless.
Gen Kellogg said on X: 'Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power.
'President Trump @POTUS is working to stop this war and end the killing. We await receipt of RU Memorandum (Term Sheet) that you promised a week ago. Cease fire now.'
Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister, said Moscow would announce the next round of direct talks with Ukraine soon.