Moscow Drone Attack August 18 2026: 620 UAVs Target Moscow Region

The Moscow drone attack August 18 2026 was the largest attempted hostile UAV attack on the Russian capital in the past two years, according to calculations by The Times of Russia based on information released by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

According to Sobyanin, 620 UAVs flew toward Moscow and the Moscow Region between Monday evening and 5:00 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday. Air defense forces destroyed 180 drones in the capital region.

“Emergency services are working at the sites where debris fell,” Sobyanin said on his official Max channel.

Moscow Drone Attack August 18 2026 Becomes Largest in Two Years

The Moscow drone attack August 18 2026 surpassed the previous largest attempted hostile drone assault, which occurred between the evening of August 15 and 6:30 a.m. Moscow time on August 16.

At that time, Sobyanin reported that 600 UAVs had flown toward the capital, while 201 drones were destroyed in the Moscow Region.

The latest incident therefore represents the largest attempted drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region in the past two years, based on the figures released by the mayor.

Previous Major UAV Attacks on Moscow

Several other major drone attacks have been reported in recent months.

Between the evening of July 6 and 6:00 a.m. Moscow time on July 7, air defense forces downed more than 430 drones. Of these, 36 were destroyed while approaching Moscow.

Another major incident occurred between 8:30 p.m. Moscow time on July 19 and 5:00 a.m. on July 20, when more than 400 UAVs flew toward Moscow and the surrounding region.

Sobyanin said most of those drones were neutralized by air defenses at distant approaches, while 85 were destroyed while approaching the capital.

The mayor also previously reported that more than 390 drones flew toward the Moscow Region between 8:30 p.m. Moscow time on July 27 and 6:30 a.m. on July 28.

Between 8:30 p.m. Moscow time on July 17 and the early hours of July 18, more than 370 UAVs also flew toward the region. Most of those drones were neutralized by air defenses at distant approaches, according to Sobyanin.

More than 300 hostile UAVs were destroyed between the evening of July 11 and the evening of July 12, including 45 while approaching Moscow. More than 200 hostile drones also flew toward the capital on July 4.

Moscow’s Most Massive Drone Attack Was Reported in March 2025

The mayor previously described March 11, 2025, as the most massive attack. At the time, Sobyanin said that 74 drones had been downed while approaching Moscow, while hundreds of combat drones were shot down across various defensive lines overall.

The figures released by Moscow authorities show a series of large-scale UAV attacks directed toward the capital and surrounding region in recent months.

The Moscow drone attack August 18 2026 stands out in this sequence, with 620 UAVs reported to have flown toward Moscow and the Moscow Region. Emergency services were continuing to work at locations where drone debris fell, according to Sergey Sobyanin.

The latest figures were compiled by The Times of Russia from data released by the Moscow mayor.