Russia launched fresh strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region on September 20, 2026, after Ukraine carried out a massive drone assault on Moscow that killed at least two people and damaged a major oil facility.
Russian authorities said Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at targets across Russia, including hundreds aimed at Moscow and nearby areas. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses intercepted hundreds of drones, while officials reported damage to part of the Moscow oil refinery and other buildings. A fuel facility in the Moscow region was also reported to have caught fire, though some details of the damage remained difficult to verify independently.
The attack disrupted flights at Moscow-area airports and occurred during the final day of Russia’s parliamentary elections. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it would intensify strikes on Kyiv in response, claiming its attacks would focus on military targets. Ukrainian officials, however, said Russian strikes killed at least four people in the wider Kyiv region, including three children, and damaged homes, warehouses and infrastructure.
The exchange marked another sharp escalation in the countries’ long-range attacks, with both sides increasingly targeting energy, industrial and transport facilities far from the front line.