Today, there are a lot of interesting updates from the Russian Federation. Here, in the aftermath of Russia’s largest missile strike of the war, Ukraine launched a thunderous response that sent shockwaves through the Russian homeland.

As drones swarmed strategic targets and panic gripped the skies over Moscow, even Vladimir Putin found himself uncomfortably close to the line of fire.

Drone swarm sends Russian officials fleeing

Even while the 1,000 for 1,000 prisoner-of-war exchange process was taking place as agreed upon in Istanbul, the Russians launched a massive drone and missile strike campaign targeting Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure.

The Russian strike consisted of almost 300 drones and 69 guided missiles, making it the largest strike launched in a single day, with the campaign lasting over 3 days, using nearly 1,000 drones in total.

The Ukrainians responded with a massive drone strike of their own, targeting critical Russian military and economic infrastructure used for the launch of drones and missiles, as well as their production.

The intensity of the Ukrainian strike caused chaos to the point that a dozen Russian government planes, presumably with Russian government officials, flew from Moscow towards the eastern cities of Samara and Kazan, likely to evade being killed in precision strikes.

Putin’s close call in the sky

At the time of the strike, Russian President Putin was in a helicopter, likely to avoid becoming a victim of the massive Ukrainian strikes on the ground.

However, the commander of Russian air defense forces, Yuri Dashkin, confirmed that Putin was almost killed, as his helicopter ended up in the middle of the Russian effort to repulse Ukrainian drones.

Such close calls and sheer incompetence are a common occurrence, as they previously targeted and shot down not just their own fighter jets, but several civilian airliners in the past as well.

Moscow descends into panic

Another video from Moscow shows a Russian civilian jet being caught amidst the ground fire of Russian air defenses, narrowly avoiding being hit after being mistaken for a very large Ukrainian drone.

Such chaos, as well as Ukrainian strikes targeting military airfields in the area, forced the Russian government to close all airports in the Moscow area and other major cities in Russia during the day.

For the past week, the Ukrainians launched intense strikes that forced the Russian airports to keep all their civilian flights grounded.

If Ukrainians consistently force Russian civilian aviation to stay grounded, it will prevent the travel of the civilian population, on top of denying the flow and export of goods across the country.

This is why the Ukrainians were intensively conducting drone strikes to force the grounding of civilian aviation at major airports in the Moscow and Kaluga regions.

Strikes hit Russia’s military-industrial nerve

The Ukrainian drone strikes properly struck key economic and military infrastructure, including a battery factory in the city of Yelets, as confirmed by satellite footage.

The batteries produced at this plant are used for an application in the Russian military industry, including guided missiles, which could indirectly delay future Russian strikes. Furthermore, two chemical plants in the cities of Kineshma and Tula were struck by Ukrainian drones, with footage confirming the direct impact on the plants.

These chemical plants are directly tied to the Russian military industry, as they produce Nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, TNT, and RDX, which are used to produce missiles, artillery shells, and landmines. Strikes against these plants significantly disrupt Russian production of weapon systems and ammunition.

These strikes are no coincidence, as causing any disruption alleviates the pressure off of frontline Ukrainian infantrymen, as Russia prepares to go all in on the attack this summer.

On top of that, the Ukrainians struck the Skaut tractor factory in Tula, after Ukrainian Military Intelligence discovered that the factory was covertly being used to produce parts for artillery systems and logistics trucks for the Russian army.

Strategic pressure ahead of summer offensive

Overall, the largest Russian missile strike against Ukraine did not pass without an even more devastating Ukrainian retribution, which resulted in successful strikes against critical Russian military industries and the cancellation of air traffic.

Continuation of these strikes by the Ukrainians could lead to devastating blows to the Russian wartime industry, which could consequently weaken the Russian capability to conduct intense assaults during their planned summer offensive.

In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Russia experienced another consecutive night of drone attacks on 29 May, with explosions in Moscow Oblast and a major fire breaking out at the Avangard plant in Saint Petersburg, according to officials and Telegram sources.

Drone attacks in Moscow Oblast

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that “an attack by three drones” was repelled around 01:56 local time. He stated that “no serious damage or injuries” were reported and that emergency teams were working at the scene of the debris fall. Sobyanin later confirmed that, “as a result of the interception of an enemy drone, there were no serious damages or casualties in a building on Vernadsky Avenue,” referencing the Mirax Park residential complex.

Russian Telegram channels showed footage of the complex with damage to its facade. The Astra Telegram channel, citing its readers, noted the proximity—about 800 meters—of a military academy of the Russian General Staff.

Another drone debris reportedly hit a residential building in Moscow’s Odintsovo. SHOT Telegram reported:

“Fiery drone fragments fell near a residential building on Chistyakova Street and damaged several cars.”

Meanwhile, Supernova+, a Ukrainian Telegram channel, published videos of those explosions at the top floors of residential buildings in Moscow, claiming they were caused by Russian Pantsir S1 anti-air missiles hitting the structures.

Additional explosions were reported by pro-Russian media in Aprelevka and Zvenigorod in Moscow Oblast.

At 07:18, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 48 drones were intercepted between 20:00 on 28 May and the early hours of 29 May, with most of them – 30 – allegedly shot down in Belgorod Oblast. The Ministry claimed only three interceptions in Moscow Oblast.

Flight disruptions at Vnukovo and Kaluga airports

Russian aviation representative Artem Korenyako confirmed that the “Carpet” protocol was activated at Vnukovo Airport around 01:50. According to pro-Kremlin Telegram sources, 14 departures and 20 arrivals were delayed. By 03:10, restrictions at Vnukovo were lifted, though similar measures were later enacted at Kaluga Airport.

Fire at Avangard defense electronics plant in Saint Petersburg

Separately, a fire erupted at the Avangard plant in Saint Petersburg around 01:00, with Astra claiming the causes of the blaze were unknown. SHOT Telegram reported that flames broke out in areas used for microchip production. Witnesses described “loud explosions” before the fire. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Saint Petersburg, “firefighting is underway in a production building at 72 Kondratyevsky Avenue. The fifth floor of the six-story structure is burning across an area of 100 square meters.”

Astra reported that the fire was first reported at 23:49 on 28 May. The response involved 11 fire trucks and 41 personnel, taking six hours to extinguish the blaze. No casualties were reported. Russian sources stated the incident was not related to the drone attacks.

Avangard is classified as a Federal scientific-industrial center and produces radio electronics, microchip technologies, and structural components for Russia’s defense systems.

Prior drone attacks on 27–28 May

On 28 May, Ukrainian drones targeted the Kronshtadt drone plant in Dubna, Moscow Oblast, causing explosions. That same morning, Zelenograd’s Elma technopark was hit, resulting in a fire and structural damage.

Today, Supernova+ released satellite imagery showing the aftermath of the attack on the Kronshtadt plant, stating: “Damage [is visible] on satellite images, eight holes in the roof. Eight drones out of ten, each carrying 40 kg warheads, struck the target precisely.”

Earlier, on 27 May, kamikaze drones struck the Murom Instrument-Building Plant, nearly 700 kilometers from Ukraine.

On 27 May, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 99 Ukrainian drones between 20:00 on 26 May and 07:00 on 27 May. Despite these efforts, several airports in Russia were temporarily closed as a result of the ongoing drone strikes. Local sources confirmed air defense activity, but there were no immediate reports of damage from the attack.

Drone attacks hit Tula and Voronezh oblasts, explosions reported

Drone strikes targeted several Russian regions overnight, including the Tula and Voronezh oblasts. Explosions were reported in the cities of Novomoskovsk and Uzlovaya in Tula, as well as in Borisoglebsk in Voronezh. Also, one drone being shot down was captured on video in Murom.

Local residents described hearing multiple explosions, with flashes visible in the sky. Russian officials from Tula and Voronezh stated that over 20 drones were detected over four municipalities in Voronezh, with debris from one downed drone sparking a forest fire in the east of the oblast. The fire was quickly extinguished, according to regional authorities.

Russian airports close as a result of the drone threat

In response to the drone attack, airports in several Russian regions were temporarily closed for safety. The Russian authorities imposed restrictions on civilian air traffic in airports located in Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Tambov. However, by the morning of 27 May, air traffic in Saratov resumed as the restrictions were lifted.

The Russian aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, confirmed that safety measures were taken across several airports.