Ukraine strikes on Moscow leave five people injured in largest attack since start of war

The drone attack caused delays and flight diversions at Moscow's main airports, while Ukraine's forces downed several of Russia's attacks into their own territory.

A man walks in a park during a snowfall, with a tower and a cathedral in the background.

Russia says its air defences have shot down 34 Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow. Source: AP / Pavel Bednyakov

Ukraine has attacked Moscow with at least 34 drones, the biggest drone strike on the Russian capital since the start of the war in 2022, forcing flights to be diverted from three of the city's major airports and injuring at least five people.

Russian air defences destroyed another 50 drones over other regions of western Russia on Sunday (local time), the defence ministry said.

"An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using airplane-type drones on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted," the ministry said.

Russia's federal air transport agency said the airports of Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky diverted at least 36 flights but then resumed operations.

Five people were injured in the Moscow region, the defence ministry said.
Moscow and its surrounding region, with a population of at least 21 million, is one of the biggest metropolitan areas in Europe alongside Istanbul.

For its part, Russia launched a record 145 drones overnight, Ukraine said.

Ukrainian officials said the country's air defences downed 62 of those.

Ukraine also said it attacked an arsenal in the Bryansk region of Russia, which reported 14 drones had been downed in the region.

An unverified video shared on Russian Telegram channels showed drones buzzing across the skyline.

Trump presidency and the Russia-Ukraine war

The two-and-a-half-year-old war in Ukraine is entering what some officials say could be its final act after Russian forces advanced at the fastest pace since the early days of the war and Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States.

Trump, who takes office in January, said during campaigning that he could bring peace in Ukraine within 24 hours but has given few details on how he would seek to do this.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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 communication services that are vital for Ukraine's defence effort.

Ukraine, itself the target of repeated mass drone strikes from Russian forces, has tried to strike back against its vastly larger eastern neighbour with repeated drone strikes against oil refineries, airfields and even Russian strategic early-warning radar stations.

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3 min read
Published 11 November 2024 6:49am
Updated 11 November 2024 8:22am
Source: AAP


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