Ukraine on Tuesday launched drone attacks on Moscow and across Russian regions, disrupting works of airports ahead of the start of a Victory Day parade to be held in capital.
Russia's defense ministry said 105 Ukrainian drones were intercepted through early Tuesday. Nineteen of these drones were shot down near Moscow. No casualties were reported in those attacks. The Ukrainian strikes disrupted work of four major airports in Moscow. Federal Agency for Air Transport, Rosaviatsiya, reported that Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airprots temporarily stopped operations, while restrictions were also introduced at the airports of Kaluga, Tambov, Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod.
Earlier, on May 6, similar restrictions were introduced at the airports of Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Samara and a number of cities across Russia. The disruption of work of airports left at least 60,000 passenger stranded at airports across Russia.
The barrage of drone strikes came as Russia’s three-day ceasefire was set to begin on Wednesday night, ahead of a World War Two victory parade in Moscow on 9 May.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected Putin’s temporary cease-fire plan, offering a one-month truce instead. Zelenskiy said the truce deal over the military parade was “theatrical”. Moscow earlier offered a 30-hour truce with Ukraine over Easter, however the sides reported fighting over the ceasefire period.
