Ukraine attacked Moscow on Sunday with at least 34 drones, the largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the war began in 2022, forcing the diversion of flights from three of the city’s main airports and injuring at least five people.
According to the Defense Ministry, Russian air defenses destroyed another 50 drones over other regions of western Russia on Sunday. “An attempt by Kiev to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type drones on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted,” he said.
Russia’s federal air transport agency said Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky airports diverted at least 36 flights but later resumed operations. Five people were injured in the capital region, the Defense Ministry said.
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Moscow and its surroundings have a population of at least 21 million inhabitants and are one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe, alongside Istanbul.
Russia, for its part, launched a record 145 drones overnight, Ukraine said. Kiev said its air defenses shot down 62. Ukraine also says it attacked an arsenal in the Russian region of Bryansk, where 14 drones were shot down.
An unverified video posted on Russian Telegram channels showed the noise of drones on the horizon.
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The two-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine is entering what some officials say could be its final act, after Moscow’s forces advanced at a faster pace since Russia’s first attacks on the country and Donald Trump was elected the country’s 47th president. United States.
Trump, who takes office in January, said during his campaign that he could bring peace to Ukraine within 24 hours, but gave few details about how he would do so.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called Trump to congratulate him on his presidential election victory, Tesla CEO and Trump supporter Elon Musk joined the call, according to media reports. Musk owns SpaceX, which provides Starlink satellite communications services that are vital to Ukraine’s defense effort.
