Ukraine launched more than 430 drones toward Moscow overnight, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, just hours before the start of the NATO summit in Ankara, which is being attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a guest.
Sobyanin wrote on social media, “From the evening until 6:00 a.m., more than 430 drones headed toward the Moscow region. Air defense forces intercepted most of them at a considerable distance. Thirty-six enemy drones were destroyed as they approached Moscow.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Alexander Shovayev, the acting governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, said one person was killed in repeated Ukrainian missile strikes that sparked a fire in part of a local infrastructure facility.
The Ukrainian attacks came a day after an intense Russian bombardment of Ukraine that killed at least 28 people, including 26 in Kyiv and the surrounding region, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The strikes also coincided with the opening of the NATO summit in Ankara, where European allies are expected to reaffirm their support for Zelenskyy, who has been invited to attend the opening dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Diplomatic sources said Zelenskyy is expected to receive a commitment from European NATO members to continue providing military assistance to Kyiv worth at least €70 billion (approximately $80 billion) annually during 2026 and 2027.
Ukraine has recently intensified attacks on Russian territory and Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, focusing particularly on energy production facilities in an effort to disrupt funding for Moscow’s war effort.
Source: AFP
