Moscow came under one of its heaviest drone barrages in recent days before dawn, forcing a temporary halt to flights at several airports and underscoring the growing pressure on the Russian capital just days after Ukraine again struck the city’s oil refinery.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that nearly 60 drones bound for Moscow had been shot down. He offered no further details, but said emergency crews had been sent to the sites where the drones were intercepted.
Flights were briefly suspended at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports, along with Zhukovsky near the capital, according to the aviation watchdog, which later said air traffic had resumed.
Across the country, Russian air defences destroyed 301 drones overnight, local news agencies reported, citing the defence ministry. That figure included Russia-occupied areas.
Watch: Firefighters battle blaze after Russian strikes hit Odesa
In Ukraine, local officials said separate Russian strikes overnight killed two people and wounded six others.
Regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram that Russia struck the southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile yesterday evening, killing one person and injuring three more.
The missile hit an agricultural facility, setting vehicles and fuel storage tanks ablaze, he said.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, local governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram that a woman was killed and three other people were injured in a drone attack.
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A Russian drone strike also hit the Turkish dry cargo vessel Victress, sailing under the Panamanian flag, the Ukrainian navy said. It added that there were casualties among the nine-member international crew, who were later rescued.
Reuters could not independently verify the details.
Elsewhere, officials in Sevastopol, the largest city in Russia-annexed Crimea, cancelled all open-air public events today and said street lights would remain off. City governor Mikhail Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram that residents should also limit electricity use.
Crimea, a favourite holiday destination for Russians, has halted fuel sales to the public and to businesses. Supplies are now being reserved for government agencies handling essential services and security, after Ukrainian drone attacks on its supply routes and on energy facilities elsewhere deepened a fuel crisis.
