Russia halts flights at Moscow airports after wave of Ukrainian drone attacks

Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, on Tuesday, said that it temporarily suspended flights at all four major airports serving Moscow to ensure safety, after the defence ministry said Ukraine was carrying out a drone attack on Russia.

In response, Russian systems shot down 76 Ukrainian drones over Russia in just two hours late Monday, Russian agencies reported. This comes after Russia's biggest drone assault on Ukarine.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES WAR’S LARGEST DRONE ATTACK

On Monday night (local time), Russia carried out the biggest drone assault since the conflict began, the Ukrainian air force said in a statement. Moscow fired cruise and ballistic missiles in a relentless attack across multiple locations in Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s air force, Russian forces deployed 479 drones designed to self-destruct, but Ukrainian defences managed to shoot down or disrupt 460 of them using electronic countermeasures, a statement on social media confirmed.

Oleksandr Koval, the military administration chief for Ukraine’s western Rivne region, described the night as extremely challenging due to a powerful enemy airstrike. He confirmed one person was injured in the assault.

Meanwhile, Russian forces claimed that they are advancing toward Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region — an area that has been heavily bombarded but has avoided ground fighting.

PRISONER SWAP HAPPENING AT SAME TIME

Amid this unfolding security crisis, Russia and Ukraine also exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday. Hundreds of soldiers returned home in emotional reunions -- part of a wider deal announced during direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, which calls for exchanging at least 1,200 POWs from each side and repatriating bodies of the fallen.

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