Ukraine-Russia war latest: Moscow hit by drone swarm for third night after Russian attack starts fires in Kyiv – UK Times

Nearly 30 world leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping, are expected to attend Vladimir Putin’s annual Victory Day commemorations in Moscow in the coming days, the Kremlin has claimed.

Military units from 13 countries, including China, will take part in the parade along with Russian troops and military vehicles and weapons systems, said Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.

Mr Ushakov said several US veterans of the Second World War are expected to attend the events – which will mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany – but it is unclear whether any US officials intend to. Moscow has sent an invitation to the US ambassador.

The announcement came after all of the four airports were forced to close following a second consecutive night of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the Russian capital.

Ukraine has warned countries against attending Russia’s commemorations, warning that such a move would go against countries’ declared neutrality over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Moscow’s key airports remained out of operation for most of the day and night yesterday after mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that Russian air defence units destroyed at least 14 Ukrainian drones after 10pm on Tuesday (1900 GMT), with no damages reported.

Russia’s aviation authority halted flights at two of Moscow’s airports, Vnukovo and Domodedovo last evening.

In the early hours today, Russia’s air defence units destroyed seven Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow, the mayor said.

Russia and Ukraine launched overnight air attacks on each other’s capitals in the early hours today, with swarms of drones destroyed on their approach to Moscow and Russian missiles and drones sparking fires in several apartments in Kyiv.

Falling debris from destroyed drones sparked fires in apartments and buildings across three of Kyiv’s districts, Ukraine’s military administration said on social media, just hours after Russia sent missiles to the Ukrainian capital.

Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said a total of six people were injured in the overnight attacks.

Five people were injured in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district that sprawls along the Dnipro River, head of Kyiv’s military administration Timur Tkachenko said on Telegram.

Ukraine’s drone attack on Moscow for the third consecutive night comes as the Russian capital readies itself for a long holiday weekend and a 9 May parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in the Second World War.

Vladimir Putin will travel to China at the end of August, reciprocating Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s expected visit to Russia this week, the Kremlin has announced.

Mr Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the visit will be part of a “good tradition”, in which Mr Xi visits Moscow to attend celebrations of Russia’s defeat over Nazi Germany, and Mr Putin travels to China to attend events marking the Allied defeat of Japan.

“This was the case 10 years ago, in 2015, and this will be the case this year,” Mr Ushakov said. In September, Beijing is set to host an event marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which China refers to as “the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression”.

In 2015, China marked the 70th anniversary of its role in the defeat of Japan with a massive military parade involving more than 12,000 troops, 500 pieces of military equipment and 200 military aircraft.

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly blocked military aid flights to Ukraine within days after US president Donald Trump entered office without the administration knowing.

An order from the US military told freight airlines at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware and a US base in Qatar to halt 11 flights loaded with artillery shells and other weapons bound for Ukraine, according to Reuters.

The verbal order reportedly came from Mr Hegseth’s office, according to US Transportation Command records reviewed by Reuters.

His instructions sparked mass confusion across Washington, DC and in Kyiv, underscoring what officials and critics have warned is a Pentagon in disarray and driven by haphazard decision-making.

The pause in aid was previously reported, but Mr Hegseth’s apparent direct role in making the call to halt the flights carrying military aid was not. The flights resumed several days later after then-national security adviser Mike Waltz intervened, according to Reuters.

Alex Woodward reports from New York:

Russia’s air defence units destroyed at least seven Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow early this morning, mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

This is the third consecutive night Russia has said it has been attacked by Ukrainian drones. On Monday, at least four drones headed for Moscow were downed, and yesterday, in a dramatic escalation, dozens of drones headed for Moscow were intercepted while at least 105 drones in total attacked Russia.

“Today, throughout the day, defence ministry air defence units have been repelling enemy drones,” the Moscow mayor said yesterday.

Russia only reports the drones that it destroys and does not disclose the total number of drones that target the country, or how many hit their targets.