Russia says its military repelled a fresh drone attack on Moscow, with the capital’s mayor Mayor Sergei Sobyanin describing that anti-air defense systems intercepted “four drones flying towards Moscow.”
International reports highlight that the attack appears “intended to unsettle Moscow’s preparations for events marking the end of the Great Patriotic War, commonly known as World War II elsewhere, on May 9.” This year’s commemoration events, happing throughout the country – but to include world leaders visiting Moscow – mark the 80th anniversary.
Russia’s aviation watchdog, Rosaviatsia, announced a temporary halt to all flights at Domodedovo airport, a key airports serving Moscow, as a result due to the aerial danger in Russian skies.
Elsewhere, at least 17 drones were reported downed over the Bryansk region along with five more over Kaluga – though within the last several days the numbers of inbound drones from Ukraine were significantly higher.
The Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk has seen a state of emergency over the last couple of days as it’s come under large-scale drone attacks.
Bloomberg reported over the weekend that “Ukrainian drones damaged Russia’s largest grain terminal in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk overnight, according to regional authorities and facility’s owner.”
“Work is underway at the KSK grain terminal to eliminate consequences” of a fire triggered by falling drone debris.
Civilian neighborhoods were also reportedly hit, with regional media citing Novorossiysk mayor Andrei Kravchenko, who stated, “Apartment buildings in the Aurora residential complex and in Suvorovskaya Street were damaged. There is damage in the private sector of the Eastern District. If necessary, we’ll deploy temporary accommodation centers.”
Last week President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire for May 8-10, which Ukraine’s Zelensky in turn denounced as but a “theatrical show” meant simply to ensure Victory Day events run smoothly as planned.
We reported earlier that Zelensky went so far as to hint that a Ukrainian attack on Victory Day events could happen. Here’s what Zelensky warned early last week:
“Now they are worried that their parade is in question, and they are rightly worried. But they should be concerned that this war is still going on. They must end the war,” the Ukrainian president said.
Moscow officials certainly took this as a direct threat. Various world leaders, including President Xi Jinping of China, will be present for the V-Day parade through Red Square and other observances.
Meanwhile in Moscow region, Russia’s air defenders started lighting up multi-storey apartment blocks in Podolsk!
No wonder some locals are concerned.
Authorities claim to have shot down 4 attack drones already. Domodedovo airport has been closed for around 90 minutes. pic.twitter.com/RtXKn1IlnE
— Tim White (@TWMCLtd) May 5, 2025
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova issued a statement Saturday saying that Zelensky “unambiguously threatened world leaders.”
“After every terrorist attack on Russia’s territory, the Kiev regime, its security services, and Zelensky personally boast that this is their doing, that this will continue. Therefore, the phrase that he ‘does not guarantee security on May 9 in Russia’ as it is not his area of responsibility is, of course, a direct threat,” the diplomat stated. There’s a likelihood Russian forces could ramp up bombing raids against Ukrainian cities, and even the capital of Kiev, as a result.
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