Ukrainian drone wave hits Russian territory

Ukraine has unleashed more than 140 drones on Russia, killing a woman near Moscow, grounding flights and setting off air defences in several parts of the country.

A damaged residential building following a drone attack by Ukrainian forces on Ramenskoye in the Moscow region. Picture: AFP

Ukraine has unleashed more than 140 drones on Russia, killing a woman near Moscow, grounding flights and setting off air defences in several parts of the country.

Russia’s ministry of defence said on Tuesday it had shot down 144 Ukrainian drones – “72 over Bryansk region, 20 over Moscow region, 14 over Kursk region, 13 over Tula region”, and 25 more over five other regions.

Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said in a Telegram post that a 46-year-old woman had been killed and several people wounded in the strikes. But an earlier statement in which he reported the death of a nine-year-old child was still “not confirmed”, he added.

As a result of the attack, four airports servicing Moscow – including major hubs Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo – had cancelled or delayed flights on Tuesday.

In Bryansk, which borders Ukraine, “the enemy carried out a massive terrorist attack”, regional governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said on Telegram, adding “there were no casualties or damage” and “all attacks were repelled”.

The latest wave of drones came as Moscow continued to claim incremental gains in Ukraine’s east more than 30 months into its offensive, and as Kyiv’s forces pressed their incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.

Russia on Monday said its forces had captured another Ukrainian village, Memryk, seen as a stepping stone to the Kyiv-held logistics hub of Pokrovsk some 20km away. Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for Moscow’s army.

Kyiv had launched its Kursk offensive on August 6 aiming to force Russia to redeploy troops pressing forward in the east, but Moscow has appeared to intensify its attacks there.

Moscow has also kept up its own aerial attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, including on key energy infrastructure ahead of the coming northern winter.

Three Russian drones were shot down above Ukraine’s Sumy overnight, the regional military administration said early on Tuesday.

AFP