Ukrainian Drone Strikes Reach Moscow, Raising Pressure on Putin

In early May 2024 Ukraine launched more than 500 drones at Moscow, causing three deaths, twelve injuries and temporary shutdowns of Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports. Kyiv reports a plan to produce seven million drones this year, including long-range models such as the “Flamingo” from Fire Point.

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Since the war began President Vladimir Putin has pursued a “bubble” policy that shields Moscow from direct combat, relying on provinces, prisons and foreign fighters to absorb casualties. The approach preserves normal life while air-defence systems protect the capital. Notable figures are Putin, President Volodymyr Zelensky, journalist Andrei Soldatov, MP Oleksii Goncharenko and spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

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Moscow residents report heightened alarm, especially on the outskirts where air-defence coverage is thinner. An official app alerts citizens to incoming fire, yet many note sirens often fail. Internet blackouts and mobile-payment disruptions have produced long queues at cash points.

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President Zelensky said the strikes prove Ukraine can breach Russia’s strongest air-defence zone. MP Goncharenko warned that airport closures erode the Kremlin’s cost-benefit calculus. The Russian defence ministry highlighted successful interceptions.

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The Two Majors Telegram channel accused the defence ministry of covering up drone attacks, claiming under-reporting. Journalist Pavel Zarubin asked whether Russia’s “powerful bombs” can bite, and Andrei Soldatov noted the pact keeping the war hidden from Moscow’s elite appears broken.

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Independent verification of casualty figures and the number of intercepted drones is lacking. The Two Majors channel claims the defence ministry is covering up attacks, whereas official statements stress successful interceptions, highlighting a gap in transparent data.

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• “The Moscow region is the most heavily saturated with Russian air defence systems,” — Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine

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• “The deal was, ‘We do not talk about the war and you keep us safe’.” — Andrei Soldatov, Russian investigative journalist

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• “For more than four years, Putin has worked hard to keep this war invisible to Muscovites. That bubble is central to his political model: the provinces fight and die, while the capital lives as if nothing is happening,” — Oleksii Goncharenko, Ukrainian MP

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• “It seems that a nuclear power can be bitten.” — Pavel Zarubin, journalist

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Analysts say repeated strikes on Moscow’s transport hubs give Ukraine diplomatic leverage and could compel the Kremlin to reassess its war calculus within months. Some experts doubt an immediate ceasefire, but the capital’s growing vulnerability may create space for future negotiations.

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