At Least 5 Killed as Drone Attacks Force Moscow Airport Closures

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Kyiv:Russian authorities temporarily suspended flights at four Moscow-area airports after air defences intercepted more than 300 drones overnight, including nearly 60 headed toward the Russian capital, as Ukraine and Russia exchanged large-scale aerial attacks.

The airports serving Moscow briefly halted operations before flights resumed, according to Russian aviation authorities. The drone barrage came days after Ukrainian forces targeted Moscow's only oil refinery for a second time.

The overnight attacks also proved deadly in Ukraine, where at least five people were killed. In the northern Sumy region, a drone strike killed three members of the same family, a 13 year old boy, his father, and his grandmother  while the boy's mother and two siblings were injured.

In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and three people were wounded in a drone attack. Another person died and three were injured when a Russian Iskander ballistic missile struck an agricultural facility in the southern Odesa region, sparking fires in vehicles and fuel storage tanks.

Ukraine also accused Russia of targeting civilian shipping in the Black Sea. Officials said a Russian drone hit the Turkish-operated cargo vessel Victress, sailing under the Panamanian flag, killing a 58-year-old Egyptian crew member. Eight other crew members, including Turkish and Indian nationals, evacuated the damaged ship in a lifeboat.

In Crimea, Russian-installed authorities cancelled outdoor public events, switched off street lights and restricted fuel sales amid growing pressure on supply routes and energy infrastructure from Ukrainian drone attacks.

The latest exchange highlights the expanding reach of the drone war, with both sides increasingly striking targets far from the battlefield, including transport hubs, energy facilities and commercial shipping.

Pic Credit: AFP