Moscow intercepted dozens of drones during the early hours of Monday and temporarily halted operations at several airports, Russian authorities said, days after Ukraine carried out another strike on the capital’s oil refinery.
At the same time, Ukrainian officials reported that Russian drone attacks targeted civilian cargo vessels, killing an Egyptian crew member. Additional strikes in different parts of Ukraine left at least five people dead, including three members of one family in the northern Sumy region.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said nearly 60 drones heading toward the Russian capital were destroyed.
In a statement posted on Telegram, he said emergency response teams had been sent to locations where the drones were brought down but did not provide further details.
Flight operations were briefly suspended at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovskiy airports around Moscow, according to Russia’s aviation regulator. Services were later restored.
Russian news agencies, citing the defence ministry, reported that air defence systems destroyed a total of 301 drones overnight. The figure included areas under Russian control in Ukraine.
The latest wave of attacks followed another Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow’s only oil refinery last week, which was described as one of the largest aerial assaults on the Russian capital since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
In Ukraine’s Sumy region, a drone strike killed a 13-year-old boy, his 36-year-old father and his 73-year-old grandmother, regional prosecutors said. The boy’s mother and two other children were injured in the attack.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and three others wounded after a drone strike, regional governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram on Monday.
Russia also launched an Iskander ballistic missile attack on Ukraine’s southern Odesa region on Sunday evening, killing one person and injuring three others, Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. The strike hit an agricultural facility, causing vehicles and fuel storage tanks to catch fire, he added.
In Crimea’s Sevastopol, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, authorities cancelled all outdoor public events on Monday and switched off street lighting as Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev urged residents to reduce electricity consumption.
Crimea, a major tourist destination for Russians, has also restricted fuel sales to civilians and businesses, with supplies reserved for government agencies responsible for essential services and security. The restrictions come as Ukrainian drone attacks on supply routes and energy infrastructure have contributed to fuel shortages in the region.
Ukraine’s navy said Russian drones struck the Turkish dry cargo vessel Victress, which was sailing under the Panamanian flag. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said a 58-year-old Egyptian cook was killed, while eight other crew members, including Turkish and Indian nationals, evacuated using a lifeboat.
Kuleba said the ship suffered major damage in the attack. Data from LSEG identified Turkey’s Rana Denizcilik as the operator of the vessel, though the company could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Ukrainian official added that vessels operating under the flags of Palau and Belize were also attacked overnight, but no casualties were reported and the ships continued their journeys.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s maritime export routes, striking ports and vessels that play a key role in the country’s international trade and wartime economy.
