Ukraine fires nearly 900 drones at Russia as Kyiv braces for expected, huge aerial attack

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian air defenses intercepted nearly 900 Ukrainian drones overnight over multiple regions of the country, as well as the occupied Crimean Peninsula and the Sea of Azov, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Tuesday.Unconfirmed media reports said a major fuel depot in the Moscow region was on fire after the attack that killed two people.Ukraine’s domestically developed long-range drones and, increasingly, missiles have allowed Kyiv to hit Russian soil during the more than 4 ½ years since Moscow’s forces launched a full-scale invasion.It has hit targets as far east as the Urals and Siberia.The bigger Russian military’s air superiority during the war has made aerial attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine routine.Ukrainian officials are now bracing for what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Tuesday is an upcoming “massive” aerial attack by Russia.“Today, we received updated intelligence on Russia’s preparations for a massive strike.

We are preparing countermeasures,” Zelenskyy said on social media.“We set deadlines for a significant part of the tasks, and the highest-priority ones are already being implemented.”Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said last week that Kyiv estimates Russia is holding 600 ballistic missiles in reserve and can produce up to 140 ballistic missiles per month.

Without ammunition for its U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, which is in short supply, Ukraine is at the mercy of Russia’s ballistic weapons.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 650 drones flew toward the Moscow region between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.Most were destroyed far away, and 105 were downed as they approached the city, he said.Sobyanin later reported 68 more drones targeting Moscow were downed during daylight on Tuesday morning.Ukraine has regularly targeted Russian oil refineries and storage depots, claiming last weekend that it had disabled 51% of Russia’s oil refining capacity.

The claim could not be independ...