Ukraine war: Major Moscow airport flights disrupted by drone attack

Ukraine has launched a drone attack on Moscow, the Russian defence ministry says, forcing flights to be diverted from Vnukovo International Airport.

Five drones were reportedly used in Tuesday's attack, which also targeted locations in the wider region around the capital.

The defence ministry said all the drones were shot down and there were no casualties or damage.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the alleged attack.

Restrictions at Vnukovo airport, one of Moscow's three international airports, have now been lifted. Flights from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were among those affected.

According to the defence ministry, four of the drones flying in the Moscow region were shot down by air defence systems. A fifth was intercepted electronically before crashing.

"An attempt by the Kyiv regime to attack a zone where civil infrastructure is located, including an airport that receives international flights, is a new terrorist act," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

Russian state media said one of the drones crashed in the town of Kubinka, which is roughly 36km (22 miles) from Vnukovo airport in the south-west of the city.

Another was reportedly shot down near the village of Valuevo, also near the airport.

The BBC is trying to verify this information independently.

This is not the first drone attack to target Moscow. In May, Russia's defence ministry said at least eight drones caused minor damage.

It was the first time the city had been targeted by multiple drones since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and came after Moscow blamed Kyiv for a drone attack on the Kremlin.

Ukraine denied responsibility for both incidents.

Tuesday's drone attack comes after Ukraine launched its counter-offensive against Russia.

This has not yet achieved the sort of speed and momentum some had hoped for, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who previously acknowledged progress was slow.

Meanwhile, the death toll from a Russian drone attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Monday has risen to three, according to the local mayor. Several other people were injured.

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