Moscow [Russia], May 17 : An Indian national has been killed and three others left wounded following a drone strike that targeted the Moscow region on Sunday, according to the Embassy of India in Russia.
Confirming the casualties, the Indian Embassy stated that its diplomatic officials immediately visited the site of the attack and met with the injured workers at a hospital. In an official statement released on X, the Embassy expressed its grief and detailed the ongoing support operations.
“The Embassy condoles the loss of life and is working with the company management and local authorities to provide necessary assistance to the workers,” the statement read. While the embassy is actively coordinating relief, the identities of the victims have not yet been made public, and local authorities have yet to release further details about the specific dynamics of the drone strike.
The fatal incident occurred as Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks on Moscow in recent months overnight on Sunday. The large-scale incursion triggered air raid sirens, structural explosions, and falling debris across various parts of the Russian capital and nearby territories.
According to claims made by Russia’s defence ministry, more than 1,000 Ukrainian drones were intercepted across the country within a 24-hour window. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that air defence networks shot down at least 81 drones headed towards the capital overnight.
Despite the interceptions, the strikes caused considerable damage to residential buildings and infrastructure across several sectors. Authorities confirmed that at least four people were killed in the assault, including three in the Moscow region, while another death was reported in Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.
Providing a breakdown of the domestic impact, Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov stated that a woman died after falling debris struck a home in Khimki, located just north of Moscow.
Governor Vorobyov further noted that two other men were killed in the village of Pogorelki within the Mytishchi district, while several others sustained injuries during the waves of strikes. Some of the wounded were reported near Moscow’s oil refinery, though state authorities insisted the facility itself remained operational and did not suffer major damage.
This latest drone assault comes days after Russia launched one of its heaviest aerial attacks on Kyiv since the war began more than four years ago. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier promised retaliation following that heavy Russian bombardment. Validating the military action on social media, President Zelenskyy shared footage on X showing smoke rising from targeted locations and emergency crews battling flames. He asserted that the strikes were a direct countermeasure to continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians.
“Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and its attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified,” Zelenskyy stated. The Ukrainian President also claimed that Kyiv had managed to successfully strike targets located more than 500 kilometres inside Russian territory, bypassing Moscow’s heavy air defence network. The cross-border strikes drew swift condemnation from the Kremlin, which accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting non-combatants.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the strikes as a “mass terrorist attack.” Since the war began, both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly denied deliberately attacking civilians.
However, residential neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure on both sides have continued to face repeated strikes throughout the conflict. (ANI)