A series of overnight drone attacks forced flight restrictions at more than a dozen Russian airports and triggered air alerts across multiple regions on Tuesday, May 6.
The strikes come just days before Moscow hosts a major military parade marking Victory Day, with President Vladimir Putin and several world leaders expected to attend.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Between 9:00 p.m. Monday and 4:00 a.m. Tuesday, air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 105 Ukrainian drones of the aircraft type, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
A total of 19 drones were intercepted near the capital, with one shot down over southern Moscow. Debris fell on Kashirskoye Highway, a key road leading to Domodedovo Airport.
No injuries or serious damage were reported, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, though Russian media shared images of a cracked supermarket window and a scorched building facade.
The Federal Air Transport Agency imposed temporary restrictions at four major Moscow airports – Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky – although flights at Sheremetyevo remained mostly unaffected.
Flight operations were also affected in cities including Volgograd, Kaluga, Saratov, and Nizhny Novgorod. A “Carpet” plan – a heightened aviation security protocol – was enacted in response to the drone threat.
Air alerts were issued in at least nine regions, including Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Smolensk, Rostov, Tambov, and Volgograd.
Ukraine Thwarts Russian-Backed FPV Drone Assassination Plot to Kill Senior HUR Official
Local governors in Voronezh and Penza said 18 and 10 drones, respectively, were downed in their regions without causing casualties.
In Kursk, an attack on an electrical substation in Rylsk injured two teenagers and knocked out power. Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein said two transformers were damaged, leading to a full outage.
The attacks heighten concerns over security as Moscow prepares for its May 9 Victory Day parade, a key national holiday commemorating the Soviet war efforts in World War II - or what Moscow commemorates as the Great Patriotic War.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, May 3, that Ukraine “could not be held responsible” for the safety of events on Russian territory during the holiday, including a military parade on Red Square attended by dozens of foreign dignitaries
Putin’s V-Day Ceasefire
About a week before Putin is slated to be accompanied by several world leaders at a celebration of the defeat of Nazi Germany, the Kremlin leader ordered a three-day truce starting then, calling it a test of Ukraine’s readiness for a long-term ceasefire.
Last week, when the Kremlin launched such an idea, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov effectively rejected Zelensky’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire during a press briefing.
On a state visit to Prague on Sunday, May 4, Zelensky reiterated he had no faith in Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s claim that he would adhere to a three-day truce coinciding with Moscow’s Victory Day parade on May 9.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
