A prolonged Ukrainian drone strike on Russia resulted in the temporary closure of Moscow’s major airports and the cancellation of at least 140 flights, according to officials. According to the Russian defence ministry, more than 230 Ukrainian drones have been shot down over Russia since Saturday morning, with 27 falling over the city. According to Russia’s aviation watchdog, all four major airports serving the capital were disrupted, and over 130 planes had to be rerouted. Everyone has since resumed normal operations. Meanwhile, at least three individuals were killed by Russian air attacks in Ukraine overnight, according to regional officials.
The Russian Association of Tour Operators (Ator) said on Sunday that Moscow airports were blocked ten times in 24 hours due to strikes. The Kaluga region, located southwest of Moscow, was also devastated. Russia’s defence ministry says it intercepted 45 drones since Saturday morning, causing Kaluga International Airport to briefly close. According to Russia’s defence ministry, drones were shot down over territories near the Ukrainian border, including Rostov and Bryansk, as well as over the Black Sea. There were no fatalities reported. Ukrainian drone attacks have already disrupted transport in Russia. In May, at least 60,000 travellers were stuck at airports around the country because Kyiv fired more than 500 drones in a 24-hour period, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
According to regional officials in Ukraine, two individuals were killed by Russian air attacks in various sections of Donetsk, while a 78-year-old lady died when residential structures in Sumy burned down. Ukraine’s air force said it shot down 18 of 57 Russian drones overnight into Sunday, and another seven were lost after their radars were jammed. In addition to Sumy and Donetsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia were attacked on the front lines.
The latest attacks come as Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to work towards a peace agreement with Ukraine, but that Moscow’s priority was to “achieve our goals”. “President Putin has repeatedly expressed his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible.” “This is a long process that requires effort and is not easy,” he stated in a televised interview. It’s been nearly three and a half years since Moscow started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested a fresh round of discussions with Moscow, with the goal of reviving negotiations that were interrupted last month.
Previous attempts by Russia and Ukraine to negotiate an end to the conflict failed to reach a ceasefire, but did result in prisoner swaps. Zelensky also stated that “a meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace.” Ukraine received a boost this week when US President Donald Trump, who has previously professed support and affection for Russia’s president, stated that the US would transfer “top-of-the-line weapons” to Ukraine through NATO members. Trump also threatened Russia with heavy tariffs if a war-ending agreement was not achieved within 50 days, and that he was “disappointed” with Putin but “not done.”
Reacting to this in Sunday’s interview, Peskov said: “Everyone has grown accustomed to his [Trump’s] rather harsh and straightforward rhetoric.
“At the same time, he reaffirms his intention to continue doing everything possible to facilitate a peaceful settlement.”
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