All four of Moscow’s major airports were reportedly closed for hours after Ukraine launched a second consecutive night of drone attacks against the Russian capital, authorities said.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Tuesday that Russian air defences intercepted 19 drones flying toward the city from different directions.
The Russian official said some debris had landed on highways leading into the city, but that no casualties were reported.
The attack comes ahead of planned celebrations in Moscow to commemorate the end of World War II. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the Victory Day event.
“Our position is very simple for all countries travelling to Russia on 9 May: we cannot be held responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“They are responsible for your safety. We will not provide any guarantees, because we do not know what Russia might do on those dates.”
Attacks in Ukraine
The Ukrainian government has not commented on the reported attack, but local officials said Russia carried out overnight drone strikes on civilian targets.
At least one person was killed and infrastructure damaged after a Russian drone strike on Odesa, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. Several houses were reportedly damaged in the attack, and fires broke out in the aftermath.
The mayor of Kharkiv said Russia had carried out drone strikes on the city, injuring at least four people. The strikes reportedly hit business premises, a shopping centre and civilian homes.
Mayor Ihor Terekhov said 20 strikes were reported in four districts of the city, causing outbreaks of fire.
Ukraine and Russia are at odds over competing ceasefire proposals, after Zelenskyy dismissed Russia’s proposed unilateral 72-hour ceasefire as “theatrical”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a ceasefire from 7 to 10 May, to go with Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations. However, Zelenskyy said that Russia’s proposed ceasefire aimed to create the illusion that Putin is emerging from isolation.
Zelenskyy instead renewed calls for a more substantial 30-day pause in hostilities, as the US had initially proposed. He said the proposed ceasefire could start anytime as a meaningful step toward ending Russia’s ongoing war, now in its fourth year.
