Ukraine conducts large-scale drone strikes on Russia, killing 4 and wounding 12 others

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. World Ukraine conducts large-scale drone strikes on Russia, killing 4 and wounding 12 others May 17, 202610:49 AM ET By The Associated Press This photo released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel shows the damage after a Ukrainian drone attack, just outside Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, May 17, 2026. Andrei Vorobyev/Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vo/AP hide caption toggle caption Andrei Vorobyev/Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vo/AP KYIV, Ukraine — One of Ukraine's largest drone strikes on Russia killed at least four people, including three near Moscow, and wounded a dozen others, local authorities said Sunday. Debris fell on Russia's largest airport without causing damage.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the drone strikes, saying that they were "entirely justified. " Russia has repeatedly launched similar attacks on Ukraine's capital and other cities during the war, and an expert said that the strikes appeared to be retaliation for recent Russian attacks on Kyiv. Russian drone strikes on Ukraine overnight wounded eight people, Ukrainian authorities said.

The Details

Sponsor Message In Ukraine's strikes on Russia, a woman was killed after a drone hit her home in Khimki, a Russian city just northwest of Moscow, and two men died in the village of Pogorelki, which is 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the capital, according to local Gov. Ukrainian drones had also damaged unspecified "infrastructure" and several high-rise buildings, Vorobyev said on social media. One man was also killed after a drone struck a truck in the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, according to local authorities.

In Moscow itself, at least 12 people were wounded in the nighttime strike, mostly near the entrance to the city's oil refinery, mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported. Sobyanin reported that the "technology" of the refinery hadn't been damaged. Russia's largest airport — Moscow's Sheremetyevo — said that drone debris had fallen on its grounds without causing damage or affecting flights.

Russian defenses shot down 81 drones headed for Moscow overnight, state agency Tass reported, citing Sobyanin, marking one of the largest attacks on the city since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. Russian air defenses destroyed 556 drones over Russia overnight, the country's defense ministry said Sunday morning. Shortly after midday local time, it reported that more than 1,000 drones had been shot down or jammed in the previous 24 hours.

Sponsor Message Zelenskyy said that the drones had flown more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Ukrainian territory, and that Ukraine was "overcoming" Russian air defense systems concentrated in and around the capital. "Our responses to Russia's prolongation of the war and attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.