Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The attack was the largest in two years.
A massive overnight aerial assault recently shook the Russian capital region of Moscow, marking the largest strike since the conflict began.
Local officials reported that defenses brought down 194 incoming drones, but several drones made it through the air defenses and hit their targets.
The most notable strike was on the Moscow Oil Refinery, where a drone sparked a giant fire that sent thick smoke over the city. Panic grew as a strange “black rain” began falling on surrounding neighborhoods.
Terrified residents had to find safety on their own. According to Russian media reports, families fled into underground metro stations with suitcases and strollers to escape an acrid chemical smell.
Yet, despite the obvious danger, the air sirens stayed completely silent. Frustrated locals soon began complaining that they received absolutely no warning about the incoming threats.
Fear of panic
The reasons behind the silence came to light through local official channels. The Russian news outlet Daily Storm highlighted a social media response from the administration in Ramenskoye, a town near the capital.
Officials stated that the “Attention All!” signal is reserved only for massive missile strikes. They argued that sounding the alarm during a drone raid would “promote panic and the evacuation of citizens into the streets” instead of keeping people safe.
The administration explicitly warned that fleeing outside could lead to severe injuries from falling shrapnel. In their message to a worried resident, they wrote, “In the event of a UAV attack, it is prohibited to run outside!”
Officials in the neighboring town of Kotelniki also called sirens “an extreme, not a routine measure” that would only “provoke panic and chaos.”
Secret bomb shelters
The confusion deepened when residents asked where they could find cover. The Kotelniki administration flatly refused to share the specific locations of local bomb shelters.
As Daily Storm reported, officials declared that information about the shelters would only be shared “during mobilization and in wartime.”
This policy leaves citizens in a loop. Even though drones are exploding nearby, the state has not officially declared a formal war or a new wave of mobilization.
The Kremlin insists on calling the war in Ukraine a special military operation.
