Three killed in biggest Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow region

March 11, 2025 MeighTimbol News 0
A view shows a multi-storey residential building damaged in a recent Ukrainian drone attack, according to local authorities, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Vidnoye, Moscow Region, Russia March 11, 2025. REUTERS/Stringe
REUTERS | Published March 10, 2025
MOSCOW, March 11 (Reuters) – Ukraine on Tuesday launched its biggest ever drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region, killing at least three employees of a meat warehouse, injuring 17 others and causing a short shutdown at the Russian capital’s four airports, Russian officials said.
–
A total of 343 drones were downed over Russia, including 91 over Moscow region and 126 over the western region of Kursk where Ukrainian forces have been pulling back, as well as near the Kursk nuclear power plant, the defence ministry said.

–

The dawn attack unfurled ahead of talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on seeking an end of the three-year-war and as Russian forces try to encircle thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk.
–
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Tuesday’s was the biggest Ukrainian drone attack on the city, which along with the surrounding region has a population of at least 21 million and is one of the biggest metropolitan areas in Europe.
–
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that preventative measures had allowed Moscow and other Russian regions to be defended from the attacks which he said had hit residential buildings.
–
Russia’s defence ministry said Ukraine had launched an attack on civilian infrastructure. Ukraine’s General Staff said it struck oil facilities in Russia’s Moscow and Oryol regions in an overnight drone attack.
–
Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the war has showcased the devastating power of relatively cheap drones which have been used by both sides to target cities, troops, oil refineries and airfields.

–

Kyiv has suffered repeated mass strikes from Russia throughout the war and said it was targeted by a ballistic missile and 126 drones on Tuesday. It has tried to hit back against its vastly bigger neighbour with repeated drone raids over the past two years.
–
Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, head of the Russian parliament’s defence committee and a former deputy defence minister, suggested Moscow should retaliate for Tuesday’s raid by striking Ukraine with the “Oreshnik” hypersonic missile.
–
Miratorg, one of Russia’s biggest meat producers, said two employees were killed by falling debris. Russian officials said a third man from Miratorg had died from his injuries.
–
Russia’s aviation watchdog said flights were suspended at all four of Moscow’s airports after the attacks, though they were later reopened. Flights were diverted to other cities.
–
Though U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to deliver peace in Ukraine, the war is heating up on the battlefield with a major Russian spring offensive in Kursk and a series of Ukrainian drone attacks deep into Russia.
–
Russia has developed myriad electronic “umbrellas” over Moscow and key installations, with additional advanced internal layers over strategic buildings, and a complex web of air defences to shoot down drones before they reach the Kremlin in the heart of the capital.
–
Moscow and Kyiv have both sought to buy and develop new drones, deploy them in innovative ways, and seek new ways to destroy them – from farmers’ shotguns to electronic jamming.
–
Soldiers have reported a visceral fear of drones and both sides have used macabre footage of fatal strikes in their propaganda, with soldiers shown being blown apart in toilets or running from burning vehicles.
Putin, who has sought to insulate Moscow from the war, has called Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure such as nuclear power plants “terrorism” and has vowed a response.

 

READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.reuters.com

RELATED: Ukraine bombards Russia with largest drone barrage of war, Moscow says

Russia conducts another massive aerial attack on Ukraine overnightABC News’ James Longman and defense analyst Mick Mulroy discuss what one of the largest attacks in the conflict to date means for peace in the region.Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP via Getty Images
ABC NEWS | Published March 10, 2025

LONDON — Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 343 Ukrainian drones overnight, in what appeared to be Kyiv’s largest cross-border aerial attack on Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

The ministry reported downing UAVs over 10 Russian regions. Moscow air defenses were firing through the night while facing multiple waves of attack drones, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The Defense Ministry said it shot down 91 drones over the capital.

Six drones were shot down near the Kursk nuclear power plant, the ministry said, close to fierce fighting as Moscow’s forces seek to eject Ukrainian troops from the western Russian region.

The attack on Moscow was “massive,” Sobyanin wrote on Telegram. Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said at least two people were killed and eight injured in the capital.

Several high-rise residential buildings, houses and businesses were damaged by drones or falling debris, Vorobyov said.

 

Russia’s federal air agency said flights were suspended at all four of Moscow’s airports, with flights at airports in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions to the east of Moscow also grounded.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova denounced the barrage as “a terrorist attack” in a statement posted on Telegram.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said details of the attack were “naturally” reported to President Vladimir Putin and suggested Ukraine had targeted civilian facilities, in comments reported by the state-run Tass news agency.

Asked if the Ukrainian strikes were intended to disrupt nascent ceasefire talks, Peskov responded, “There are no negotiations yet. So far the Americans, in their own words, are trying to understand how ready Ukraine is for peace talks. There are no negotiations yet, so there is nothing to disrupt here yet.”

“But the fact that it is possible to spoil the emerging trend, yes,” Peskov added.

The Ukrainian military did not immediately comment on the strikes.

The drone barrage came as U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators prepared to open ceasefire talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday after weeks of tensions and public disagreements.

President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing Kyiv to make concessions in pursuit of a peace deal to end Russia’s three-year-old invasion of the country. The White House also wants Ukraine to sign off on a controversial minerals sharing agreement Trump has framed as a way to recoup tens of billions of U.S. aid sent to Ukraine since 2022.

Kyiv has repeatedly said it will not accept any deal that does not include concrete security guarantees to prevent repeat Russian aggression in the future.

Trump has framed Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the main impediment to peace, falsely blaming Ukraine for starting the war, seeking to undermine Zelenskyy’s legitimacy and publicly aligning with Moscow’s false narratives around the conflict. The U.S. has sought to push Ukraine to the negotiating table by putting a freeze on military aid and some intelligence sharing.

MORE: US ‘just about’ ready to lift Ukraine intel freeze, Trump says ahead of Saudi meet

“The most important thing that we have to leave here with is a strong sense that Ukraine is prepared to do difficult things,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who will take part in Tuesday’s talks — said on Monday.

Rubio said the Russians “are going to have to do difficult things” too, though Trump and his top officials have not said what concessions Moscow may be asked to make. U.S. and Russian negotiators first met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last month.

Zelenskyy traveled to Saudi Arabia on Monday to meet with crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman. Zelenskyy will not take part in Tuesday’s talks with the American delegation.

Zelenskyy said he had a “detailed discussion” with Salman on “the steps and conditions needed to end the war and secure a reliable and lasting peace,” in a social media post after the two leaders met.

“I specifically emphasized the issue of the release of prisoners and the return of our children, which could become a key step in building trust in diplomatic efforts. A significant part of the discussion was dedicated to the formats of security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy said a Ukrainian delegation will “remain” in the country to “work with the U.S. team” on Tuesday. Zelenskyy said he hopes for “practical outcomes,” from the U.S.-Ukraine meeting.

“Ukraine’s position in these talks will be fully constructive,” he added.

A source close to Zelenskyy confirmed to ABC News that Ukraine will propose a partial ceasefire in its talks with the U.S. The partial ceasefire would apply to long-range air strikes and attacks at sea, the source said.

The timeframe for the truce remains unclear.

“We want to propose a partial ceasefire that can be monitored and then see how the Russians respond to determine the next steps,” the source added.

Rubio told reporters on Monday he saw some promise in Ukraine’s partial ceasefire proposal.

“I’m not saying that alone is enough, but it’s the kind of concession you would need to see in order to end this conflict,” he said.

Rubio said finalizing the mineral deal with Ukraine was “an important topic, but it’s not the main topic on the agenda.”

“It’s certainly a deal the president wants to see done but it doesn’t necessarily have to happen tomorrow,” he said. “There’s still more details to work out.”

In the meantime, nightly exchanges of drones and missiles appear set to continue.

Ukraine’s air force said its forces tracked one Iskander ballistic missile and 126 drones fired into the country overnight. The missile and 79 drones were shot down, the air force said, with another 35 UAVs lost in flight without effect.

Donetsk, Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv were impacted, the statement said.

 

READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.abcnews.go.com

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply