Days after Ukraine struck the Russian capital's oil refinery once more, Moscow shot down dozens of drones in the early hours of Monday and temporarily halted flights at airports, according to local authorities.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported on Telegram that around sixty drones were shot down en route to Moscow. Sobyanin added that emergency services had been sent to places where drones had been downed, but he did not elaborate.
The aviation authority stated separately that flights had been suspended at the airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy in the capital, although they were eventually reopened. Local news outlets reported, citing the defense ministry, that 301 drones were shot down by Russian defense systems during the course of the night. Russia-occupied territories were included in that total.The incident follows a drone strike on Moscow's only oil plant last week. In one of the largest airstrikes on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow's defense systems shot down about 200 drones.
Overnight, separate Russian strikes in Ukraine resulted in two fatalities and six injuries, according to local authorities.
Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said on Telegram that one person was killed and three injured after Russia launched an Iskander ballistic missile into the southern Odesa region on Sunday night. He added that when the attack struck an agricultural site, vehicles and fuel storage tanks took fire.Ivan Fedorov, the local governor, reported on Telegram on Monday that a drone assault in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia had killed a woman and injured three others. The Turkish dry cargo ship Victress, flying the Panamanian flag, was also struck by a Russian drone attack, according to the Ukrainian navy, which also reported that the nine multinational crew members it rescued suffered injuries. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the information.
In other news, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea, announced on Telegram that all outdoor public events would be canceled on Monday and that street lights would remain out. He also urged citizens to use less electricity.Due to a fuel crisis caused by Ukraine's drone attacks on its supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere, Crimea, a popular tourist destination for Russians, has suspended fuel sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security.