Russia’s capital and the surrounding Moscow region came under record drone attacks overnight, leaving at least three people killed and over a dozen wounded.
Residential buildings were damaged across several suburbs and Moscow’s oil refinery was targeted in a rare strike, according to local authorities.
Operations at all four Moscow airports faced rolling disruptions from late Saturday but have resumed operations after dozens of flight cancellations and delays. Attacks on other Russian regions are ongoing.
The capital faced about 80 drones through 7 a.m. local time, and air defenses fought off dozens of projectiles, according to Telegram posts from Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Russia and Ukraine resumed attacks on each other on May 12 after a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump on May 8. That allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold celebrations marking the Soviet victory in World War II.
While some shelling was reported from both sides during the ceasefire, major air offensives largely remained paused during those days. Immediately afterward, Ukraine faced a barrage of drone and missile attacks — including a strike on Kyiv that killed 24 people, including three children, on Thursday. The weekend drone attacks on Russia appeared to be retaliation.
Twelve people, mostly construction workers, were reported to have sustained injuries near the entrance checkpoint of the Moscow oil refinery, according to the mayor, who added that the plant’s operations were not disrupted.
The refinery, owned by Gazprom Neft, has a processing capacity of about 245,000 barrels a day and is one of the key fuel suppliers for the Russian capital region.
Air defenses confronted a large-scale drone attack that started around 3 a.m., Moscow region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said in a post. The three deaths came in different districts, while at least four others were injured and one person remained trapped under rubble, he said. Debris from a drone was recorded on the territory of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, Tass reported, citing the airhub. City authorities last week banned residents from photographing drone attacks or reporting locations where drones were spotted.
Across Russia, air defenses shot down 556 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Defense Ministry said. The figure is one of the highest reported since Kremlin started the war on its neighbor in 2022.
Russia launched 287 drones at Ukraine since late Saturday, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. Overnight attacks were reported in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions, while Ukrainian authorities said strikes continued throughout Sunday.
Meanwhile, Latvia’s armed forces issued a drone warning for the eastern regions early Sunday morning, and said one drone entered and exited the Baltic country’s airspace, without identifying the origin of the drone. NATO fighter jets were scrambled on the warning.
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.