Moscow became a target as Ukraine and Russia exchanged large-scale drone attacks
Russia and Ukraine have carried out the largest drone attacks against each other since the start of the war.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had intercepted 84 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including several that were approaching Moscow, causing flights to be diverted from the capital’s three major airports.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 145 drones across the country on Saturday night, most of which were shot down.
The attacks come amid expectations that US President-elect Donald Trump could put pressure on both sides to end the conflict.
Ukraine’s attempted attack on Moscow was also the largest assault on the capital since the war began and was described by the region’s governor as “massive”.
Officials said most of the drones were shot down in Ramenskoye, Kolomna and Domodedovo districts.
In Ramenskoye, southwest of Moscow, five people were injured and four houses caught fire due to falling debris, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It added that 34 drones were shot down over the town.
In September, a woman was killed in a drone strike on Ramenskoye. In May last year, two drones were destroyed near the Kremlin in central Moscow and there were several drone attacks in Moscow City’s business district.
In Ukraine, at least two people were injured after a drone attacked the Odesa region. Images showed flames rising from several buildings as well as subsequent damage.
Ukraine’s air force said 62 Iranian-made drones were shot down, while 67 were “missing”. An additional 10 aircraft left Ukrainian airspace and returned to Russia and neighboring Belarus and Moldova.
According to analysis of data by the AFP news agency’s Institute for the Study of War, the drone attacks came as the Russian military reportedly made its biggest territorial gain in October since March 2016. 2022.
However, Sir Tony Radakin, the British military chief, told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg program that Russia experienced its worst month for casualties since the start of the war.
Russian forces averaged about 1,500 dead and wounded “every day” in October, he said.
There has been much speculation about how Trump will approach the conflict since he won the US election.
The president-elect frequently said during his campaign that he could end the war “in a day,” but gave no details on how he would do that.
Former Trump adviser Bryan Lanza told the BBC that The incoming administration will focus on achieving peace instead of allowing Ukraine to reclaim territory from Russia.
In response, Trump’s spokesman distanced the president-elect from those comments, saying Mr. Lanza “does not speak for him.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov spoke via state media on Sunday about “positive” signals from the incoming US administration.
He claimed that Trump spoke during his campaign about wanting peace, not wanting to inflict defeat on Russia.
Trump has spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since he won the election, with a source telling the BBC that the conversation lasted “about half an hour”.
Zelensky had previously warned against giving ground to Russia and said that without US aid, Ukraine would lose the war.
