Russia and Ukraine have carried out their largest drone attacks against each other since the start of the war.
Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 84 Ukrainian drones over six regions, including some approaching Moscow, which forced flights to be diverted from three of the capital’s major airports.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 145 drones towards every part of the country on Saturday night, with most shot down.
In May last year, two drones were destroyed near the Kremlin in central Moscow and there were several drone attacks on the Moscow City business district.
Zelensky has previously warned against conceding land to Russia and has said that without US aid, Ukraine would lose the war.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Russia and Ukraine have launched the most extensive drone strikes against one another.
Three of the capital’s main airports had to reroute flights after Russia’s defense ministry reported intercepting 84 Ukrainian drones over six regions, some of which were headed toward Moscow.
According to Ukraine’s air force, on Saturday night, Russia launched 145 drones in all directions of the nation, the majority of which were shot down.
The attacks coincide with predictions that Donald Trump, the US president-elect, will exert pressure on both sides to put an end to the war.
“Massive” is how the region’s governor described Ukraine’s attempted attack on Moscow, which was also the country’s largest attack on the capital since the start of the war.
Authorities said that the districts of Ramenskoye, Kolomna, and Domodedovo saw the majority of the drones brought down.
Five people were hurt and four houses were set on fire by falling debris in Ramenskoye, southwest of Moscow, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. 34 drones were shot down over the town, it added.
A woman was killed in a drone attack on Ramenskoye in September. Two drones were destroyed in May of last year close to the Kremlin in central Moscow, and the Moscow City business district was the target of multiple drone attacks.
After a drone struck the Odesa region of Ukraine, at least two people were hurt. Pictures revealed aftermath damage and flames rising from a few buildings.
Of Russia’s drones made in Iran, the Ukrainian air force reported that 67 were “lost” and 62 were shot down. Another ten departed Ukraine’s airspace, returning to Russia, Belarus, and Moldova, the report said.
The AFP news agency analyzed data from the Institute for the Study of War and reported that Russian troops had gained the most territory since March 2022 in October, which coincided with the drone attacks.
But the UK’s chief of defense staff, Sir Tony Radakin, stated on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show that Russia had experienced its highest number of casualties since the war began.
About 1,500 Russian soldiers were killed and wounded “every single day” on average in October, he said.
Ever since Trump won the US election, there has been a great deal of conjecture about his strategy for dealing with the conflict.
Throughout his election campaign, the president-elect frequently claimed that he could end the war “in a day,” but he hasn’t provided specifics on how he would accomplish this.
The BBC was informed by Bryan Lanza, a former Trump adviser, that the incoming government would prioritize peacemaking over allowing Ukraine to reclaim its territory from Russia.
The president-elect was told by a Trump spokesman that Mr. Lanza “does not speak for him” in response to the comments.
Speaking through state media on Sunday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov discussed “positive” signs from the incoming US government.
According to him, Trump stated during his campaign that he wanted peace rather than to defeat Russia.
Trump has had a “about half an hour” conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky since his election victory, according to a source who spoke to the BBC.
Zelensky has stated that Ukraine would lose the war without US assistance and has cautioned against giving up territory to Russia.
