Moscow has closed all four of its main airports for several hours into Tuesday after it was reported the military had shot down 105 Ukrainian drones overnight.
At least 19 drones were destroyed on their way to the capital as it prepares for Victory Day celebrations this week, according to the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobayanin
Debris fell on a major avenue in the city’s south without causing injuries, Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.
Governors in other Russian cities, including Penza and Voronezh, said they had also been targeted by Ukrainian drones.
It was the second night in a row that Russia has reported a Ukrainian drone attack, after the defence ministry claimed it had destroyed 26 overnight on Monday.
Ukraine has continued to apply pressure ahead of Russia’s May 9 Moscow parade, presided by President Vladimir Putin and attended by several world leaders as the country marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Saturday that his government could not guarantee the safety of foreign delegations and world leaders travelling to Moscow to attend the parade.
Zelensky had said ‘Our position is very simple for all countries traveling to Russia on May 9: We cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,’ adding that Russia could orchestrate provocations including ‘arson, bombings and so on only to blame us’.
Flight restrictions were introduced at more than a dozen airports following the reports of a Ukrainian attack into Tuesday, Russian agencies reported, citing the Federal Air Transport Agency.
Airports were also affected in other cities including Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod.Ukraine has been stepping up attacks into Russian territory, with Russian sources claiming Kyiv reopened its offensive into Kursk on Monday.
