Moscow was hit by drone attacks for the second consecutive day, with flights at four airports around the city interrupted multiple times.
On Thursday, the Russian capital Moscow was hit by large-scale drone attacks for the second consecutive day, causing an interruption of air traffic around Moscow. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that 35 attacking drones heading toward Moscow were shot down during the night.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense said: "The air defense system destroyed and intercepted 105 Ukrainian drones," of which 35 were heading toward Moscow at the time. Moscow Mayor Sobyanin posted on the social media platform Telegram: "Emergency rescue experts are working at the scene where debris has fallen."
In Kyiv, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed that the Russian side launched 128 drones toward Ukraine from Wednesday to Thursday night, of which 112 were shot down, electronically suppressed, or lost control. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, both countries have deployed drones almost every day for confrontation, but Moscow, the Russian capital, has rarely been the target of attacks.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency stated that all four airports around Moscow suspended flight operations multiple times in the past day. Russian President Putin has repeatedly rejected calls for an immediate unconditional ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and Western countries.
Russia currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. The unusual aspect of this latest round of drone attacks lies in their duration throughout the day, as previous attacks typically occurred at night. This shift highlights Ukraine's increasing ability to put pressure on Russia's air defense systems, potentially causing greater economic damage.
Source: rfi
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832826000035848/
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