A massive Ukrainian drone attack has struck Moscow and its surrounding region, killing at least two people, damaging residential buildings and hitting an oil refinery in the Russian capital as long range attacks between Russia and Ukraine intensify.

Russian authorities said on Sunday, September 20, that air defenses had intercepted hundreds of drones targeting Moscow during one of the largest attacks on the Russian capital since the war began.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 1,600 drones had been intercepted across defensive lines since Saturday, including 450 heading towards Moscow.

Several drones nevertheless reached the premises of the Moscow oil refinery, while another struck a residential building.

Ukraine had not publicly commented on the latest Russian claims at the time of reporting.

TWO PEOPLE KILLED IN MOSCOW REGION

Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said two people were killed during the attacks.

A 44 year old woman was killed after a drone struck a three storey residential building in Sofyino.

Five other people, including two children, were injured in the incident.

A second person was killed in the Orekhovo Zuevo district after a private home was hit.

Other residential properties were damaged across the region as Russian emergency services responded to fires and falling drone debris.

HUNDREDS EVACUATED FROM APARTMENT BUILDING

Authorities said approximately 400 people, including around 70 children, were evacuated from a 21 storey apartment building in the Ramenskoye district after a drone caused a fire.

Vehicles and other property were also damaged.

Russian authorities said emergency teams were deployed to multiple locations around the Moscow region.

MOSCOW OIL REFINERY HIT

The attack also reached a major oil refinery inside Moscow.

Reuters witnesses reported hearing explosions and seeing smoke rising from the refinery.

Sobyanin confirmed that several drones reached the facility.

The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian energy infrastructure during the war, arguing that oil and fuel facilities contribute to Moscow's ability to finance and sustain its military operations.

Russia has simultaneously continued large scale attacks against Ukrainian energy and infrastructure targets.

MOSCOW AIRPORTS DISRUPTED

The drone attacks also caused disruption to air travel around the Russian capital.

Temporary restrictions were imposed at Moscow airports as authorities responded to the aerial threat.

Flights were delayed or disrupted while Russian air defenses attempted to intercept incoming drones.

Operations subsequently began returning towards normal, although passengers were warned that delays could continue.

RUSSIA CALLS ATTACK UNPRECEDENTED

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described the assault as unprecedented.

He alleged that the attack was intended to disrupt Russia's parliamentary elections, which entered their final day on Sunday.

Ukraine had not responded to that allegation.

Independent verification of the number of drones claimed destroyed by Russian authorities remains difficult during the continuing conflict.

The attack occurred as Russians voted in parliamentary elections being held across the country and in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.

Ukraine rejects Russian elections conducted in occupied Ukrainian territory as illegal.

RUSSIAN STRIKES ALSO KILL CIVILIANS IN UKRAINE

The escalation was not limited to Russian territory.

Russian drone attacks on Ukraine also killed civilians during the weekend.

Ukrainian authorities said a mother and her two young children were killed when a drone struck their home in the Kyiv region.

Another child injured in a separate attack later died in hospital.

Officials reported additional deaths in the Sumy region after a Russian drone struck a vehicle.

Homes, infrastructure and other properties were damaged during the attacks.

ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE UNDER INCREASING ATTACK

Both countries have intensified long range attacks against energy and transportation infrastructure.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil refineries, storage facilities and logistics networks.

Russia has continued attacks against Ukrainian electricity generation, energy distribution and other critical infrastructure.

The latest strikes came despite US President Donald Trump saying earlier in the week that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other's energy facilities.

The continuing attacks indicate that such an understanding has not resulted in a sustained halt to strikes on energy infrastructure.

WAR CONTINUES MORE THAN FOUR YEARS AFTER INVASION

Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

More than four years later, the conflict continues with increasingly sophisticated drone warfare allowing both countries to strike targets hundreds of kilometers from the front lines.

Ukraine's ability to send large numbers of drones towards Moscow represents a significant expansion of its long range strike capability.

Russia continues to possess a much larger missile and drone arsenal and regularly conducts large scale attacks across Ukraine.

The latest exchange demonstrates how the war has increasingly extended beyond traditional front lines, with energy facilities, transportation networks and cities becoming targets of long range attacks.

With both sides continuing to strike deep inside each other's territory, the latest attacks raise further questions about efforts to reduce attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure.