A sustained Ukrainian drone attack on Russia has caused Moscow’s major airports to be temporarily closed and at least 140 flights to be cancelled. More than 230 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russia since Saturday morning, including 27 over the capital. Russia’s aviation watchdog reported that four major airports serving the capital were disrupted and more than 130 flights had to be redirected. At least three people were killed during Russian air strikes on Ukraine overnight. Moscow airports were closed 10 times in 24 hours due to the strikes. The Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, was also affected, with Russia’s defence ministry stating it had intercepted 45 drones since Saturday morning, resulting in Kaluga International Airport being temporarily closed. Drones were also shot down over regions near the Ukrainian border including Rostov and Bryansk, as well as over the Black Sea.
The latest attacks come as the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to move towards a peace settlement with Ukraine but that Moscow’s priority was to “achieve our goals.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a new round of talks with Moscow, aiming to restart negotiations that halted last month. Trump announced that the US would send “top-of-the-line weapons” to Ukraine via Nato countries and threatened Russia with severe tariffs if a deal to end the war is not reached within 50 days.
