Three main airports were closed after an overnight drone attack was launched by Ukraine, Russian officials said on Wednesday.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated on Telegram that at least five drones were intercepted and destroyed as they approached the capital.
Russia’s aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, confirmed that flights at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports were suspended as a precaution. The agency said the flight halt was necessary to maintain air traffic safety while the threat was being assessed.
No damage or injuries have been reported so far. Drone activity in Russian airspace has increased in recent months, with several attempts reported near key infrastructure and urban centres.
Officials have not released further details on the origin of the drones or the specific targets.
UKRAINE ATTACKS SUBSTATION IN KURSK REGION
On the other hand, Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation in Russia’s western Kursk region, the regional governor said early on Tuesday after Russian war bloggers reported a new Ukrainian land-based incursion into the area backed by armoured vehicles.
Officials on both sides of the border reported deaths from military activity and ordered evacuations of several settlements.
Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein’s report, posted on the Telegram messaging app, said Ukrainian forces had struck the substation in the town of Rylsk, about 50 km (30 miles) from the border, injuring two teenagers. Two transformers were damaged and power cut to the area.
“Dear residents, the enemy, in its agony, is continuing to launch strikes against our territory,” Khinshtein wrote.
Ukraine made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024, hoping to shift the momentum in Russia’s full-scale invasion and draw Russian forces away from other sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with Moscow calling it a special military operation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
