In the early hours of May 17, a series of drone attacks were reported across several cities in the Moscow region, resulting in significant damage and casualties. Key sites affected included a semiconductor manufacturing facility and a fuel station, along with disruptions at Sheremetyevo Airport.
Local Telegram channels reported explosions in cities such as Klin, Zelenograd, Khimki, Dedovsk, and Durikine. Witnesses described columns of black smoke rising from various locations, alongside visible fires.
Among the affected sites, the Angstrom facility in Zelenograd, known for producing semiconductor products, was reportedly hit. This company is currently under U.S. sanctions. Additionally, the Elma Technopark, which houses over 150 resident companies involved in electronics and technology, experienced a significant fire.
The Elma Technopark spans 60,000 square meters and is dedicated to various sectors, including electronic equipment manufacturing and scientific research. The drone strikes also targeted the Sunzha fuel station in Durikine, a major hub for fuel storage and distribution in the region, where residents reported a large fire.
Due to the drone attacks, operations at Sheremetyevo Airport were temporarily suspended. Local footage showed a small fire and dense smoke near the airport premises.
The strikes extended to residential areas, with reports of drones hitting apartment buildings in Khimki, Zelenograd, and Moscow. According to Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov, the drone assault began around 3 a.m. A woman was killed when a drone struck a private house in Khimki, and another individual is believed to be trapped under debris. Two fatalities were also reported in the village of Pogorilki, where a drone hit an unfinished building.
In Krasnogorsk, a drone impacted a multi-story residential building, damaging several apartments. Vorobyov noted that infrastructure in several municipalities was also affected.
“In Istra, drones struck residential buildings: an apartment block in Didivsk on Kosmonavtiv Street and six private homes in the Agromistechko settlement. Preliminary reports indicate that three men and one woman were injured and are receiving medical assistance. A private house caught fire due to a drone crash in Subotino (Naro-Fominsk district), but there were no reported injuries,” Vorobyov stated.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that over 120 drones were intercepted in the last 24 hours, which were allegedly headed towards the capital. He confirmed that 12 people were injured as a result of the drone strikes, particularly near the Moscow Oil Refinery, where construction workers were among the casualties. Sobyanin assured that the refinery’s operations had not been disrupted, although three buildings sustained damage.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that during the night of May 17, air defense systems allegedly shot down 556 Ukrainian drones over various regions, including Belgorod, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Bryansk, Voronezh, Tula, Smolensk, Pskov, Lipetsk, Tver, Rostov, Krasnodar, the Moscow region, and the temporarily occupied Crimea, as well as the Black and Azov Sea areas.
Drone attacks in the Moscow region on May 17 targeted key infrastructure and residential areas, resulting in fires and multiple casualties. Authorities reported significant damage, including at a semiconductor facility and a fuel station.