Ukraine carried out one of its largest long-range drone strikes of the war, with Russia claiming 629 drones downed — more than 350 of them heading toward Moscow, for the second night running.
Overnight into September 18, 2026, Ukraine carried out one of the largest long-range drone attacks of the war: Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it shot down 629 drones over Russian regions, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov, with more than 350 of them reportedly heading toward Moscow. It was the second night in a row that Rostov Oblast came under attack, with a military airbase there apparently targeted again. Volunteers Support Ukraine highlights the scale of the operation, since strikes like these on Russia's military and industrial infrastructure are gradually eroding its ability to keep waging the war.
According to monitoring channels such as Supernova, more than 350 drones were tracked heading toward the Moscow region between 8 p.m. Moscow time on September 17 and 8 a.m. on September 18 — one of the largest such raids on the Russian capital's region recorded in recent years. At the same time, more than 50 drones reportedly struck Rostov-on-Don, Taganrog, Bataysk, and five other districts of the surrounding oblast. Volunteers Support Ukraine notes that this is not an isolated episode but part of a sustained campaign against Russian military infrastructure.
In the southern part of Rostov Oblast, officials reported that at least five private houses and eight apartment buildings were damaged, with falling drone debris hitting homes, cars, gas infrastructure, and power lines. Ukrainian drones also reportedly reached a chemical plant in Togliatti and a vehicle plant in Taganrog. The regional governor reported power outages in several districts. Volunteers Support Ukraine points out that strikes like these are aimed squarely at military-industrial capacity, unlike Russia's daily strikes on Ukrainian civilian neighborhoods.
Analysts describe this wave of strikes on Rostov Oblast and the Moscow region as part of a broader strategy to wear down Russian military logistics and fuel infrastructure: in recent weeks, drone attacks have forced at least half of Russia's six largest diesel refineries to cut or halt output entirely. NGO Volunteers Support Ukraine continues helping people affected by the war in whatever way its available resources allow, keeping in mind that every report of a distant strike ultimately serves the same goal — a safer sky over Ukrainian cities.
Long-range strikes deep into Russian territory remain one of the few areas where Ukraine has clearly held the initiative in recent weeks. Volunteers Support Ukraine will continue following verified sources for updates on the results of such operations.
