
Kyiv stated that the strikes should push Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept its call for a halt to long-range aerial strikes, a proposal Moscow has previously ruled out. In the early hours of Tuesday, Ukrainian drones targeted high-rise apartment blocks and parking lots on the outskirts of Moscow, marking the largest attack on the Russian capital in the three-year conflict. The Kremlin condemned the attack, which occurred just hours before top US and Ukrainian officials were set to meet for talks in Saudi Arabia, following three years of Russian aerial barrages on Ukrainian cities. The attack resulted in the deaths of three people, according to Russian officials. Kyiv expressed that the strikes should encourage Putin to consider a halt to long-range aerial strikes, a proposal that Moscow has previously dismissed. Ukrainian and US diplomats were meeting to discuss ending the conflict, with Kyiv aiming to get Washington on board with the idea of a partial ceasefire. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Kyiv for targeting “residential houses,” claiming that Russia’s forces only hit military infrastructure, despite near-daily attacks on Ukraine’s civilian areas and thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. Moscow’s army reported intercepting 343 Ukrainian drones, with some falling on “residential and economic infrastructure.” Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described it as the “most massive enemy drone attack on Moscow.” At one attack site, AFP journalists observed holes on the upper floors of an apartment block, with broken glass and debris scattered across the asphalt. The drones hit areas surrounding Moscow, including Ramenskoye, home to an airbase, and an area near Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. Residents described the chaos, with Yevgenia Bakatuyeva, a 38-year-old living in one of the hit apartment blocks, recounting, “We were sleeping, there was an explosion, the children screamed. I opened my door, and all the neighbors jumped out. Somebody was in blood.” Artyom, a 34-year-old car sales manager, added that he had “only seen such things on TV” and found it “scary when in real life.” The conflict in Ukraine often feels distant in the Russian capital, where life has continued despite Moscow’s army advancing and attacking Ukrainian cities. While Ukraine has previously targeted Moscow, deadly strikes far from the front lines are rare. No air raid alert or siren was announced in the capital during the attack. More than 90 drones were intercepted over the Moscow Region, which surrounds the heavily defended capital. The rest targeted regions surrounding Moscow and those bordering Ukraine. Russian aviation officials temporarily closed the four main airports serving Moscow. Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov reported that a 50-year-old and a 38-year-old security guard were killed, with a local official later confirming a third man died in hospital. The health ministry stated that several people were hospitalized, including a child. Russia’s investigative committee labeled it a “terrorist attack” and opened a criminal investigation. In the Vladimir region, around 200 kilometers (125 miles) east of Moscow, a village of approximately 800 people was evacuated after two drones were shot down, local authorities said. Russia’s foreign ministry took OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu, who was in Moscow on Tuesday, to the site of one of the attacks. Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s National Security Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation, stated, “This is an additional signal to Putin that he should also be interested in a ceasefire in the air.” Kyiv is set to present the United States with a plan for a partial ceasefire with Russia, hoping to restore support from its key benefactor, which under President Donald Trump has demanded concessions to end the conflict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will participate in the Saudi talks, indicated that the idea had promise. Russia has previously ruled out partial ceasefires. Russia’s defense ministry claimed the attack, hours before the talks, was designed to “demonstrate” Ukraine’s military capacity. On the battlefield, Moscow reported retaking 12 villages in its Kursk region from Ukrainian forces, territory Kyiv hoped to use as leverage in peace negotiations but where it has been losing ground. Russia also claimed to have captured the village of Dachne in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s military launched a ballistic missile and 126 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to Kyiv’s air force. AFP journalists in Kyiv heard explosions overnight as air defense downed a wave of drones. A Russian bomb attack on the eastern Donetsk region killed one and wounded four, the regional governor said.
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