On the night of July 4, the Russian capital Moscow has been the target of a massive and sustained drone attack. According to official statements by the city's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, the attack began at around 10:45 p.m. local time on Friday night and continued for hours into the early hours of Saturday.
So far, the Russian Federation's air defense forces have reported the successful interception and downing of at least 13 Ukrainian drones on the outskirts and approaches to the capital. There is no confirmed information about injured citizens or serious material damage on the ground, but emergency teams are working at the site of the debris.
Due to the imminent air danger, Russian aviation authorities introduced emergency flight restrictions at the international airport „Vnukovo“, which temporarily stopped receiving and sending aircraft. Local sources reported delays and redirections of dozens of civilian flights.
In addition to Moscow, air and missile threat warnings were also activated in a number of other Russian regions, including the border Belgorod, Bryansk and Smolensk regions. Over the past 24 hours, local strikes on industrial sites and energy infrastructure were reported there, leading to power and water supply outages.
The new wave of attacks is part of Ukraine's intensified campaign to strike deep into the Russian rear. They come immediately after the deadliest Russian attack on Kiev this year, which killed at least 30 civilians, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the start of a special 40-day operation to put pressure on the Kremlin.
Source: RBC Ukraine, BTA, Al Jazeera, CNBC