Ukraine launches large drone attack on Russia, Moscow says, ahead of U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia
Russian military said on Tuesday that air defense hit 337 Ukrainian drones overnight in 10 Russian regions, which appears to be the largest Ukrainian drone attack in three years.
The attack was because the Ukrainian delegation was scheduled to be in Saudi Arabia With the top diplomats in the United StatesSecretary of State Marco Rubio on Ending Three Years of War with Russia.
The most drones – 126 – were shot down in the Kursk region on the Ukrainian border, The part controlled by the Kyiv troopsAccording to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense, 91 people were shot down in the Moscow area. Other regions listed in the statement include Belgorod, Bryansk and Voronezh’s border with Ukraine and Russia deeper in Russia, such as Kaluga, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol and Ryazan.
Andrei Vorobyo
According to Reuters, the Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down a ballistic Iskander M missile, with 79 of the 126 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack. The Air Force said 35 drones failed to reach their target, which may be due to electronic warfare countermeasures. It did not shed light on what happened to the other 12 drones.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 70 drones were shot down as the Russian capital and were flying to Russia.
“The Ministry of Defense’s air defense personnel continue to repel large-scale enemy attacks on Moscow,” Subyanin said in a telegram earlier on Tuesday.
Reuters reported that commuters were working as usual in central Moscow, with no signs of panic in the city, adding that Moscow is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe, when there are at least 21 million areas that include surrounding areas.
Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region around the capital, said the attack killed one person and injured three people, which also damaged seven apartments in a residential building in the area. Russian state news agencies Ria Novosti and Tass reported that the attack also set up many cars in the parking lot.
Governor Igor Artamonov said another person was injured on a highway in the Lepitsk region.
Soubenin said the roofs of Moscow buildings were also damaged, which he called was “insignificant”. Video of the building published by Ria Novosti shows a burnt place on the exterior wall of a multi-storey residential building near the roof, with the building’s lining falling off.
There are six airports outside Moscow, including Donoddovo, vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky, as well as airports in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod areas. Later, Reuters resumed flights to Sheremetyevo Airport, citing Aviation Watch Dog Rosaviatsia.
Train traffic through the Donobadovo railway station in Moscow region was also temporarily stopped, according to local officials.
Local authorities also reported drones descent in Tula and Vladimir areas near Moscow. It is not clear why these areas were not mentioned in the Ministry of Defense’s statement.
