An Indian worker was killed and three others were injured in a drone attack in the Moscow region, the Indian embassy in Russia said Sunday.
This was one of Ukraine’s largest drone strikes on Russia which killed at least four persons, including three near Moscow, and wounded a dozen others, local authorities said.
While at least 22 Indians are estimated to have died since the start of the Russia-Ukraine began in February 2022, this is possibly the first Indian casualty in the Moscow region.
“One Indian worker has lost his life and three others have been injured in a drone attack in the Moscow region earlier today. Embassy officials have visited the location and met the injured workers in the hospital,” the Indian embassy said on X.
“The Embassy condoles the loss of life and is working with the company management and local authorities to provide necessary assistance to the workers,” it said without disclosing the identities of the dead or the injured.
In a social media post, the Russian embassy in New Delhi mourned the death of the Indian worker and blamed Ukraine. The Indian embassy had not spelt out that Ukraine was behind the attack.
“The Russian Embassy mourns together with the family of the Indian worker and extends its sympathy to those injured by the Ukrainian attack on civilian facilities in the Moscow region,” it said.
Story continues below this ad
“According to preliminary reports, more than 12 people were injured in the city of Moscow, while in the Moscow region three people were killed and another six were injured,” it said.
Russian state news agency TASS said air defences shot down over 120 drones heading to Moscow in the past 24 hours, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said. After midnight 81 drones were destroyed.
It said that 12 people were injured in drone attacks, and in particular, construction workers suffered injuries at the entrance to the Moscow Refinery, and three residential buildings were damaged.
In the Moscow region, TASS reported that two men were killed in the village of Pogorelki in Mytishchi, where drone debris hit a house under construction.
Story continues below this ad
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the drone strikes, saying that they were “entirely justified.” Russia has repeatedly launched similar attacks on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other cities during the war.
Earlier, there have been reports of nationals from third countries, including India, being lured to Russia with promises of lucrative jobs or other opportunities, only to be forced into joining the Army there.
Last year, in January 2025, the government had put the count of such Indians at 126. Of these, 96 people had returned to India, at least 12 had been killed and 16 were missing, it said.
Responding to questions in Parliament, the Ministry of External Affairs, in March 2025, said that 12 Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces were reported to have lost their lives in the conflict. At that time, the MEA had said that there were roughly 27 Indians involved who had been recently enrolled in the Russian forces, and the government was working to get them out.
Story continues below this ad
Last month, in April 2026, the government told the Supreme Court that 10 Indians out of 26 had been killed. A bench consisting of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Vipul Pancholi and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a writ petition filed by family members of 26 Indians, claiming that the individuals had been tricked and coerced into fighting the war after they went to Russia in search of jobs.
Put together, about 22 Indians have been killed on the war frontline. But the latest casualty, officials said, has been in the Moscow region, and that is a qualitatively different casualty.
