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Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Moscow airports temporarily shut amid Ukraine's drone attack on Russia
Ukraine's sustained drone attack on Russia led to airports in Moscow to be temporarily shut which caused at least 140 flights to be canceled, authorities said. The Russian defence ministry stated that more than 230 Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the country since Saturday morning, including 27 over the capital Moscow. Russia's aviation watchdog stated that more than 130 flights had to be diverted as flight operations at four major airports serving the capital were disrupted. However, the airports have since resumed normal operations. Meanwhile, regional officials said that at least three people were killed in Ukraine during Russian air strikes on Kyiv overnight. According to Russia's Association of Tour Operators (Ator), the airports in the country had to be shut at least 10 times in 24 hours due to the strikes. The Ukrainian drone attacks also affected Russia's Kaluga region, situated southwest of Moscow as the Russian defence ministry stated that they intercepted 45 Ukrainian drones since Saturday morning, which led to Kaluga International Airport being temporarily shut. The defence ministry added that drones were shot down in the region near Ukrainian borders including Rostov, Bryansk and over Black Sea. The authorities said that no fatalities were reported in the attacks. Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force said it shot down 18 of 57 Russian drones overnight on Sunday and seven other drones were lost after their radars got jammed. The retaliation by Russia led to attacks in Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. Amid the latest round of attacks, Kremlin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready for a peace settlement with Ukraine but Moscow's priority lies in achieving its goals. 'President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,' Peskov said in an interview, reported BBC. (with inputs from BBC)
Qatar Tribune
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Moscow airports shut temporarily after Ukraine drone attacks
Agencies Moscow A sustained Ukrainian drone attack on Russia caused Moscow's major airports to be temporarily closed and saw at least 140 flights cancelled, officials said. More than 230 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russia since Saturday morning — including 27 over the capital — according to the Russian defence ministry. According to Russia's aviation watchdog, the four major airports serving the capital were disrupted and more than 130 flights also had to be redirected. All have since resumed normal operations. Meanwhile, at least three people were killed during Russian air strikes on Ukraine overnight, according to regional officials. Russia's Association of Tour Operators (Ator) said on Sunday that Moscow airports were closed 10 times in 24 hours due to the strikes. The Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, was also affected. Russia's defence ministry said it had intercepted 45 drones since Saturday morning, resulting in Kaluga International Airport also being temporarily closed. Russia's defence ministry said drones were also shot down over regions near the Ukrainian border including Rostov and Bryansk, as well as over the Black Sea. No fatalities were reported. This is not the first time that Ukrainian drone attacks have caused travel disruption in Russia. In May, at least 60,000 passengers were stranded at airports across the country after Kiev launched more than 500 drones in a 24-hour period, according to Russia's defence ministry. Regional officials in Ukraine said two people died after Russian air strikes in different parts of Donetsk, while a 78-year-old woman died after residential buildings burned down in Sumy. Ukraine's air force said it shot down 18 out of 57 Russian drones overnight into Sunday, while a further seven drones were lost after their radars were jammed. As well as Sumy and Donetsk, other front-line areas of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk were attacked, as was Zaporizhzhia. The latest attacks come as the Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to move towards a peace settlement with Ukraine but that Moscow's priority was to 'achieve our goals'. 'President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy,' he said in a televised interview. It has been nearly three-and-a-half years since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
New York Post
20-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Moscow airports shutdown after Ukraine fires more than 230 drones
Russia was forced to temporarily close all four major airports in Moscow after Ukraine fired more than 230 drones over the weekend, officials said. At least 140 flights were canceled across Moscow following Ukraine's counterattack, which began Saturday morning, with 27 drones intercepted over the capital, according to Russia's defense ministry. The capital's airports were shut down 10 times in the last 24 hours due to the drone strikes, according to Russia's Association of Tour Operators (ATOR), the latest travel chaos the Kremlin has endured as it pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine. 4 Ukraine's drone attacks have repeatedly caused chaos across Russia's airports. YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA / Shutterstock 4 Kyiv has vowed to step up its UAV attacks to keep the pressure on Moscow. REUTERS The attacks also caused the Kaluga International Airport, which lies southwest of Moscow, to temporarily shut down after 45 drones were intercepted in the region. The frantic weekend echoes the mass closures Russia saw back in May, where more than 500 drone attacks left some 60,000 passengers stranded in airports across the country, the BBC reported. Ukraine has vowed to step up its drone attacks on Russia to keep pace with the Kremlin's mass bombardment campaign, which has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians in recent weeks. Russia's Ministry of Defense said that it intercepted the drones along the regions bordering Ukraine, including in Rostov and Bryansk, as well as over the Black Sea. No casualties were reported. 4 Russia fired more than 300 drones over the weekend, killing three people, including an elderly woman in Sumy. STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock Kyiv's attack comes as Moscow itself fired more than 300 drones over the border, killing two people in Donetsk and a 78-year-old woman in Sumy, regional officials said. The latest wave came early Sunday, with 57 drones fired into Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia, all of which are current hotspots of the war. Amid the drone exchange, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to meet directly with him for a new round of talks aimed at securing a cease-fire. 4 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for Vladimir Putin to meet him face-to-face to negotiate a cease-fire. AFP via Getty Images 'A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace,' Zelensky said. Putin is allegedly open towards securing a peace settlement with Ukraine, but only if such talks prioritize 'our goals,' Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Sunday. Putin has previously stated that his goals include allowing Russia to keep all the territory it has taken during the war and for Ukraine to demilitarize.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Kremlin says taking 'all measures' to protect May 9 parade
MOSCOW: The Kremlin was forced Wednesday to say it was taking "all necessary measures" to ensure the safety of foreign leaders set to attend its flagship May 9 parade after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across the country, disrupting hundreds of flights. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Moscow and Kyiv traded a barrage of drone attacks ahead of the parade -- which has become a key event during Vladimir Putin's 25 years in power -- as US talks pushing for an end to the conflict appeared to have stalled. Moscow will hold the Victory Day event on Red Square to mark 80 years of the defeat of Nazi Germany, an anniversary that comes more than three years into its Ukraine offensive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian attack killed a mother and her son in Kyiv on Wednesday. Russia fired 142 drones and four ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, he said. Russia said Ukraine had launched a barrage of drones at Moscow and other cities in western Russia, forcing airports to halt traffic with 60,000 people seeing their flights disrupted. The attacks come as some foreign leaders -- including China's Xi Jinping -- are due to arrive in the Russian capital for the WWII celebrations. "Our military and special services are taking all necessary measures to ensure that the celebration of the great victory takes place in a calm, stable and peaceful atmosphere," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said authorities were jamming the internet because of a threat from Kyiv, which has hit Russian cities with drones throughout Moscow's offensive. The Kremlin's forces occupy a fifth of Ukraine and this spring hit the country with a string of deadly attacks on civilian areas. "We need to take into account that dangerous neighbourhood that we have," Peskov said, referring to Ukraine. "As long as guests are here, until May 10, we need to be ready for restrictions," he added, calling on Muscovites to be understanding. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Nothing scares us' Many Russians from outside Moscow were visiting the heavily policed capital for the parade and appeared unfazed. "We are from Rostov-on-Don. Nothing scares us," said 22-year-old student Valeria Pavlova from the southern city, which serves as a command and logistics hub for the Ukraine offensive and has regularly been targeted. "It's much calmer here," she added. But scenes at airports in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and other cities were more chaotic. Kyiv's drone attacks disrupted some 350 flights Tuesday and Wednesday, Russia's Association of Tour Operators said. Social media videos showed people sleeping on the floor and airports with rows of over a dozen planes queueing on the tarmac. Ukraine's airspace has been forced to close since Russia launched its offensive in February 2022, with Ukrainians forced to make long train journeys to neighbouring Poland to catch a flight. Putin has ordered a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine starting at midnight Wednesday, which Ukraine has dismissed as a "game" designed to protect his parade rather than a genuine peace measure. Kyiv has instead called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, something Putin previously rejected. Hours before Putin's order was set to come into effect, Moscow unleashed a barrage of drone attacks across Ukraine and Zelensky called for more pressure on Russia to end its offensive. The Kremlin said Putin's order remains in force. Russia has said it will retaliate to any attacks. 'Stay alive' Putin, who has been isolated by the West since launching his offensive, is due to meet the clutch of visiting leaders. He will hold talks with Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro -- Russia's longtime partner -- as well as the leaders of Cuba, Mongolia and the Republic of the Congo on Wednesday. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico -- the only EU leader visiting -- will attend the event, with Fico defying Brussels by travelling to Moscow. Chinese troops are among some of the foreign soldiers set to march during the May 9 parade. Kyiv on Tuesday warned them not to do so. "The Russian army has committed and continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine on a scale that Europe has not seen since World War II," Kyiv's foreign ministry said. "It is this army that will march on Red Square in Moscow on May 9." The Moscow parade has changed since the 2022 offensive, with Russia lauding veterans of its Ukraine offensive and observers saying less tanks took part in the event. "The guys are going past (on military vehicles), and I just think: 'Boys, just stay alive, please!" said Marina, who is from the far-eastern city of Blagoveshchensk and was in Moscow for the parade for the first time.
