For first time in war, Ukrainian strikes begin worrying Russians more than front

On the night of 17 May, more than 120 Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow and the Moscow Oblast.  Russian propaganda attempted to downplay the scale of the attack, according to journalists from Agentstvo.

What did state TV do?

“Channel One,” “Russia-1,” and NTV reportedly spent only about a minute at the beginning of news broadcasts discussing the attack, presenting it as if it had just happened.

Journalists noted there had actually been enough time to prepare full reports.

In a noon broadcast, Channel One claimed Russia had already delivered a “response” to the attacks. Captions such as “Ukraine’s military infrastructure is on fire” and “In response to Kyiv’s terrorist attacks, our army is striking military targets in Ukraine’s rear areas” appeared on screen.

State news agency TASS argued that a larger attack had hit Moscow Oblast in March 2025, although Agentstvo said the comparison was misleading because those figures included drones intercepted across multiple Russian regions, not only those aimed at Moscow.

By the number of people killed, however, the 17 May attack was reportedly comparable to the March 2025 strike.

What actually happened?

According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), Russian regional officials, and OSINT monitors, strikes on 16–17 May hit:

• Angstrem in Zelenograd — a semiconductor and microchip manufacturer linked to precision weapons production;
• Elma Technopark in Zelenograd — enterprises involved in military microelectronics and robotics;
• A Transneft fuel facility in Durikino;
• The Moscow Oil Refinery in Kapotnya;
• MKB Raduga in Dubna — a cruise missile design bureau;
• Belbek military airfield in occupied Crimea;
• Russian command posts in Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions.

Several fires were reportedly confirmed after the attacks.

“Moscow never sleeps”

On 17 May, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Madiar" Brovdi posted a photograph of a drone marked "Moscow never sleeps" and wrote that "the one-sided subscription to a quiet life on Patriki" — Patriarch Ponds, an affluent central Moscow district — "is canceled."