Ukraine fired over 400 drones towards Moscow ahead of NATO summit
MOSCOW
People walk through Red Square during sunset in Moscow, Monday, July 6, 2026, backdropped by the Spasskaya tower of the Kremlin. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)
Ukraine launched more than 400 drones toward Russia's capital Moscow, the city's mayor said on July 7, ahead of a crucial NATO summit in Türkiye in which the war will likely dominate talks.
The attacks underscore Kiev's use of long-range drones in the more than four-year war, with Russian border areas coming under fire and Moscow facing increasing drone attacks.
"From evening until 6:00 am (0300 GMT), more than 430 drones were flying in the direction of Moscow region," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted on the state-backed MAX platform.
"Most were neutralised by air defense forces at distant approaches. 36 enemy UAVs were destroyed on approach to Moscow."
Acting Belgorod regional governor Aleksandr Shuvaev said several Ukrainian missile strikes had targeted Belgorod city in the south-west and the surrounding district.
"In the village of Belovskoye, Belgorod district, a civilian resident was, sadly, killed as a result of the first missile strike," Shuvaev said on MAX.
It comes after Russian strikes killed 30 people in Ukraine on Monday a day ahead of a crucial two-day NATO summit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to take "strong decisions" at the summit in Ankara just hours after the deadly strikes.
"It is critically important that the world — first and foremost the United States and our European partners — come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense," Zelensky said on Facebook.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up long-range strikes in recent months, with both sides regularly reporting drone attacks and missile launches targeting territory far from the front line.
, European countries have taken over the support of Ukraine almost entirely as Trump has wound back U.S. aid.
Zelensky will score a commitment from his European backers at NATO to keep at least 70 billion euros ($80 billion) of military aid flowing to Kiev each year in both 2026 and 2027.
Zelensky — who is set to hold talks with Trump at the Ankara summit — urged the alliance to take "strong decisions" on boosting Ukraine's air defenses after a devastating Russian blitz killed nearly 30 people.
The Ukrainian leader will look to convince Trump — who held a phone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin ahead of the gathering — that Kiev is turning the tide in the war and that he should pressure Moscow back into serious peace negotiations.