Ukraine responds to Russia with 186 attacks against 46 Russian targets, including Moscow

Ukrainians have grown tired of stoically enduring systematic Russian attacks against their civilian population.

Massive Russian attack on civilians in Ukraine, with three children among the victims
A nightmare for the Kremlin: Ukraine is already launching more long-range drones than Russia

This week, a Russian attack on Kyiv killed 24 civilians, including 3 children, in an attack that is not an isolated incident: it is part of a Kremlin strategy of terror against the Ukrainian people. Yesterday, Ukraine launched a large-scale response by launching hundreds of drones against Russia and occupied Crimea, counterattacks that have continued today. This afternoon, the Ukrainian newspaper Kyiv Post reported that, according to data provided by the Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), Ukrainian drones successfully attacked 46 Russian targets in a total of 186 precision strikes.

This afternoon, at 13:00 CET, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that, following orders from the President of Ukraine, specialists from the SBU's Alpha Special Operations Center, together with the Ukrainian Defense Forces, attacked the military-industrial complex and oil companies in the Moscow region, as well as the infrastructure and air defense systems of the Belbek military airfield in Crimea.

We’re checking off the last square on the bingo card.

Ukrainian drones just hit the Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya — one of the last "untouchable" ones.

Not anymore. Enjoy. pic.twitter.com/6Ihp2bfuEF

— UAVoyager🇺🇦 (@NAFOvoyager) May 17, 2026

The SBU has indicated that the following were attacked in the Russian capital: the Angstrem plant, which supplies semiconductors to the Russian military-industrial complex and is subject to US sanctions; the Moscow refinery (in Kapotnya); the Sonechnogorska oil pumping station; and the Volodarskoye oil pumping station. Above, we can see a video of the attack on the Kapotnya refinery. Below, we can see the aftermath of the attack on the Sonechnogorska pumping station, near Durykino.

During a large scale attack against the Moscow region, Russia, the Durykino oil depot has been successfully struck in the early morning of this Sunday. pic.twitter.com/mIFxOBkv5g

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) May 17, 2026

Likewise, the SBU has indicated that it also attacked several targets on the Crimean Peninsula, a Ukrainian territory occupied by the Russians, specifically the "Pantsir-S2" air defense system; a hangar with an S-400 radar system; an Orion drone control system and the Forpost ground drone control station; a ground-to-air data transfer point; and the control tower and a hangar at Belbek airfield. This afternoon at 4:33 PM CET, the First SBS Center released this video showing a Ukrainian drone launching salvos of rockets against a communications node of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea:

Ukrainian FP-1/FP-2 guided strike drone launching a salvo of unguided air-to-ground rockets against a strategic Black Sea Fleet communications node in Crimea.

This is the first footage showing the use of unguided rockets from the FP-1/FP-2 onboard camera. https://t.co/Xp4UiTnvy6 pic.twitter.com/AmyCkTpOV7

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) May 17, 2026

The SBS has also published this video showing footage of this Ukrainian response, noting that more than 120 drones managed to penetrate Russian defenses in the Moscow region, in an action they describe as "the most massive strike, demonstrating that there are no untouchable places" in Russia.

Сьогодні почався новий вектор історії.

Ми пишемо історію. І вона зводиться до одного простого, але випалювального слова «ляпас».

Тотальний, нищівний і абсолютно невідворотний.
Понад 120 дронів в один момент зламали міф про «неприступну» столицю ворога. Москва та область… pic.twitter.com/xEijUED1hi

— 1st Separate USC (@1usc_army) May 17, 2026

The SBS added: "We did not choose this. Ukraine is a nation of creators. We know how to create technologies, cultivate culture, and build a future for our children. But when the invader arrives to erase our identity and steal our achievements, the lives of our people, the language of diplomacy ends. The language of force begins. Today we have definitively demonstrated: we will no longer limit ourselves to sacrificial defense. We know how to strike back. Hard, technologically, and straight to the heart of the aggressor."

Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and its attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified. This time, Ukrainian long-range sanctions reached the Moscow region, and we are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war. Ukrainian drone and… pic.twitter.com/BVFJ1BJQ1i

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 17, 2026

In a message posted this morning at 11:19 CET, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, posted this video of the attacks and stated: "Our responses to Russia’s prolongation of the war and its attacks on our cities and communities are entirely justified. This time, Ukrainian long-range sanctions reached the Moscow region, and we are clearly telling the Russians: their state must end its war. Ukrainian drone and missile manufacturers continue their work. I am grateful to the Security Service of Ukraine and all the Defense Forces of Ukraine for their precision. The distance from Ukraine’s state border is over 500 km. The concentration of Russian air defense in the Moscow region is the highest. But we are overcoming it."

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Main photo: 1 окремий центр БпС СБС. A long-range drone operated by the First Center of Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine.