GERMANY PERSPECTIVE

Berlin, May 18, 2026. In the night between Saturday and Sunday, Ukraine launched what German media outlets uniformly describe as one of the largest drone offensives of the entire war: more than 500 aircraft simultaneously targeted Russian regions, with Moscow and its surrounding area in focus. DW and Tagesschau place this event within precise context: three days after a partial ceasefire, Russia had resumed massive strikes on Ukraine, killing 24 people in a single residential building in Kyiv last Thursday.

The toll on the Russian side, as reported by Moscow authorities, stands at four deaths. In the Moscow region, three people were killed: a woman in a building in Khimki, north of the capital, and two men in the village of Pogorelki, in Mytishchi District. In Belgorod Region, a fourth victim died when a drone struck his truck. Twelve additional wounded were reported in Moscow, notably near an oil refinery that drones approached without hitting its technical installations, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

The scale of the attack is emphasized by both newsrooms: Russia's Ministry of Defense reports downing 556 drones across more than a dozen regions—a figure that German sources note cannot be independently verified. In Moscow alone, more than 80 aircraft were intercepted according to Governor Andrei Vorobyov, and over 120 according to Mayor Sobyanin. Debris fell on Sheremetyevo Airport, the country's largest, leading to the temporary suspension of takeoffs and landings. Several dozen flights were canceled or diverted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized the strikes as "entirely justified," viewing them as a direct response to continued Russian aggression. "We clearly tell the Russians: your state must end this war," he stated on Telegram. He noted that Ukrainian long-range drones had reached targets located 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, underscoring the deep-strike capacity now acquired by Kyiv.

Tagesschau recalls the symmetric context: in the same night, Ukraine also faced 287 Russian drones, of which 279 were reportedly neutralized. The preceding week saw Russia deploy 3,170 aircraft-type drones, over 1,300 guided bombs, and 74 missiles, resulting in 52 deaths and 346 wounded on the Ukrainian side according to Zelensky. Berlin also notes a related incident: Latvian forces reported an unidentified flying object crossing their airspace, with NATO fighter jets mobilized—a signal of a war whose effects extend beyond the directly involved borders. Negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv remain suspended.