Kyiv/Moscow, July 22: Ukraine launched more than 230 drones across Russian territory over the weekend, prompting Moscow to shut down all four of its major airports and cancel at least 140 flights, Russian authorities said on Sunday.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said 27 drones were intercepted over the capital, while dozens more were downed across regions bordering Ukraine, including Rostov, Bryansk, and the Black Sea area. The Kaluga International Airport southwest of Moscow also halted operations temporarily after 45 drones were intercepted in the vicinity.
According to Russia’s Association of Tour Operators (ATOR), airports in the Moscow region were closed 10 times in 24 hours, marking the latest episode of travel disruption amid Ukraine’s intensifying drone campaign. No casualties were reported on Russian soil.
The strikes recall a similar wave in May, when more than 500 Ukrainian drones left about 60,000 passengers stranded at airports across Russia.
Ukraine has vowed to step up drone operations in response to Russia’s ongoing missile and drone bombardments, which Kyiv says have killed dozens of civilians in recent weeks.
In a retaliatory strike, Russia fired more than 300 drones into Ukrainian territory over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said. Fatalities included two people in Donetsk and a 78-year-old woman in Sumy. The latest wave of Russian drones targeted Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia—current hotspots of the war.
Amid the escalating drone exchanges, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold direct talks aimed at securing a ceasefire. “A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace,” Zelensky said.
The Kremlin signaled a conditional openness to talks. Putin is prepared to consider a settlement, but only if it addresses Russia’s “goals,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. These include retaining all territory seized during the war and the demilitarization of Ukraine, demands Kyiv has previously rejected.
