Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, has temporarily halted flights at all four major airports in Moscow for safety reasons, following reports of a Ukrainian drone attack.
Russian defence systems shot down 76 Ukrainian drones in just two hours late Monday, according to local reports.
The incident comes after Russia carried out its largest drone strike on Ukraine.
On Monday night, Russia launched its biggest drone attack since the war began, according to Ukraine’s air force. Moscow also fired cruise and ballistic missiles in a widespread assault across several parts of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air force said Russian forces launched 479 self-destructing drones, but Ukrainian defences managed to shoot down or jam 460 of them using electronic countermeasures.
Oleksandr Koval, head of the military administration in Ukraine’s western Rivne region, called the night extremely difficult due to a strong enemy airstrike and confirmed one person was injured.
Meanwhile, Russian forces claimed they are moving toward Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region — a heavily bombed area that has so far avoided ground battles.
Prisoner swap takes place amid attacks
Despite the ongoing conflict, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war under the age of 25 on Monday. Hundreds of soldiers returned home in emotional reunions. The exchange is part of a broader deal announced in Istanbul on June 2, which includes swapping at least 1,200 POWs from each side and returning the bodies of the fallen.
