Vladimir Putin reels as Ukraine launches mass drone blitz deep inside Russia

Ukraine has launched a major overnight drone blitz, striking targets deep inside Russian territory and prompting a flurry of reports from Moscow to St Petersburg. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed three drones were shot down near the capital between 2am and 3am, with emergency crews dispatched but no casualties reported.

In St Petersburg, operations at Pulkovo Airport were temporarily suspended around 5am, delaying at least 10 flights, according to Rosaviatsiya. Russian state outlet TASS said drones near the city were neutralised using electronic warfare systems. Smolensk Oblast Governor Vasily Anokhin said 14 drones were intercepted over his region, with one person injured.

In Belgorod, close to the Ukrainian border, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed a drone strike killed one and injured six others, reported the Kyiv Independent.

In Voronezh, local Telegram channels said a drone hit a residential building, wounding three children, while Governor Alexander Gusev reported at least five drones shot down.

Russia’s Defence Ministry later claimed a total of 122 Ukrainian drones were intercepted across multiple regions.

Ukraine’s military has not commented, but the wave of strikes comes as Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities escalate and Western arms deliveries begin to arrive.

The previous night, Russia launched its own large-scale barrage of drones and missiles across Ukraine, causing widespread power outages and casualties.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Moscow’s long-range drone capacity remains a serious threat, with over 1,800 launched in a single week.

On July 9 alone, Russian forces deployed 728 Shahed drones alongside cruise and ballistic missiles.

Donetsk Governor Filashkin said three civilians have been killed and 29 injured in oblast over past day during Russian attacks.

As the cross-border drone war intensifies, both sides appear to be testing the limits of each other’s air defences.