AP – All four international airports around Moscow have temporarily halted flights as Russian forces launched over 100 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions in Russia on Tuesday, according to the Russian defense ministry.
As reported by Rosaviatia, the civil aviation authority, and the Ministry of Defense, operations at airports in nine additional regions of Russia were also briefly stopped due to drone activity near the border. This marks the second night in a row that the Moscow region has faced such attacks.
The drone strikes pose a challenge to a proposed 72-hour ceasefire for a conflict ongoing for more than three years, as announced by President Vladimir Putin, coinciding with celebrations of World War II’s victory day.
The event commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 is Russia’s most significant secular holiday. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are expected to arrive in Moscow for the 80th anniversary on Thursday, where a parade featuring thousands of troops, tanks, and missiles will take place.
Security measures are anticipated to be stringent. Russian officials have cautioned that internet access may be limited in Moscow during the festivities and advised residents against using fireworks.
Just last week, President Putin announced a brief, one-sided ceasefire “for humanitarian reasons” to begin on May 8th. Ukraine, however, has called for a more extended ceasefire.
Russia has effectively dismissed the U.S. proposal for a complete 30-day pause in hostilities, citing numerous conditions, while Ukraine has accepted it, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
U.S. President Donald Trump remarked on Monday that while the short ceasefire might seem minimal, it’s significant considering the starting conditions.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated on Tuesday that an order for a ceasefire had been given to Russian troops, but made it clear that soldiers would respond if attacked.
Ukraine has increasingly utilized more advanced, locally-made drones to counter a smaller troop presence than Russia along the approximately 1,000-kilometer frontline, launching long-range strikes on Russian territory.
The Russian military employs around 3,000 pounds of glide bombs, artillery, and both cruise and ballistic missiles against Ukraine.
Local Governor Alexander Kinstein reported that two individuals were injured in the Kursk region, with damages also noted in the Bolognez area.
The details from Russian sources could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force has reported that Russia conducted 136 strikes and drone attacks overnight.
In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, Russian forces launched at least 20 Shahed drones, resulting in four injuries, as regional governor Olek Sinevov noted via telegram.
One drone struck the largest market in Kharkiv, Barabasbo, destroying and damaging approximately 100 market stalls, as reported by Sinevov. Additionally, seven civilians were injured elsewhere in the Kharkiv region due to Russian glide bombs and drone attacks.
In Kuramatalk, a Russian Shahed drone tragically killed one person and injured two others in eastern Donetsk, as detailed in a Facebook post. The drones targeted both urban residential areas and industrial zones.
In the Odesa region, Russian drone strikes hit residential buildings and civil infrastructure, resulting in one fatality, according to reports from local authorities.
