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Ukraine Pushes War Into Russia as Drones Swarm Skies Near Moscow
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine is increasingly shifting the battlefield onto Russian territory, with air raid alerts now sounding across much of the country and drone activity intensifying near Moscow, according to Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Oleksii Vyskub in comments to Ukrinform on March 16.
Vyskub said Ukrainian forces are systematically targeting Russian military infrastructure, while Moscow continues to retaliate with strikes on civilian areas.
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“Ukraine is gradually transferring the war onto Russian territory, systematically striking the aggressor’s military infrastructure. In response, the Kremlin, in its usual manner, is chaotically and hysterically trying to strike civilian targets in Ukraine,” Vyskub said.
He noted that recent Ukrainian operations have hit several key facilities tied to Russia’s military-industrial and chemical sectors, including sites involved in the production of missiles, drones, and explosives.
Among the targets was the Kremniy-El plant in Bryansk, which produces components for missiles and unmanned systems. According to Vyskub, the facility is now considered beyond repair.
“There are only two such plants in Russia,” he said.
Ukrainian forces also reportedly struck the Metafrax Chemicals facility in Russia’s Perm region—more than 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) from Ukraine—marking one of the deepest strikes of the war.
Vyskub emphasized that while global attention is currently focused on developments in the Middle East, a parallel shift is taking place inside Russia itself.
“While the world’s attention is focused on events in the Middle East, something else is going largely unnoticed: air raid alerts are sounding almost constantly across Russia. Even Moscow has been under sustained Ukrainian drone pressure for two days,” he said.
According to the official, Russian authorities have been forced to acknowledge the scale of the threat, with Moscow’s mayoral channels reporting intercepted or downed drones at frequent intervals.
He added that, based on Russian claims, more than 250 aerial targets were detected near the Moscow region over a two-day period, many of them aimed at military infrastructure.
The impact has also affected civilian aviation. Of Moscow’s four major airports, only Vnukovo has remained fully operational, according to the statement.
“The war that Russia brought to Ukraine is gradually returning home,” Vyskub said.
He also highlighted the performance of Ukraine’s air defenses, noting that since 2022, Russia has launched up to 50,000 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine, with interception rates estimated at 80% to 90%.
Earlier, Ukrainian paratroopers from the 79th Air Assault Brigade inflicted heavy losses on Russian forces near Pokrovsk, reportedly destroying an entire battalion from the Russian 5th Motor Rifle Brigade “Oplot.”
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