Ukraine targets Moscow with drones as Putin prepares anniversary parade

KYIV (Reuters) - A Ukrainian drone attack forced Moscow to close its airports for several hours, Russian officials said on Tuesday, before President Vladimir Putin will host several leaders to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

With Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to arrive in Moscow on Wednesday for a parade on May 9 to mark the anniversary, Russian war bloggers also reported a new Ukrainian armoured ground incursion into the Kursk region.

Putin has called for a ceasefire from May 8-10 - a proposal Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called pointless, instead pushing for an unconditional ceasefire over at least 30 days in line with a U.S. proposal.

So-called Victory Day is a major holiday in Putin's calendar and the Russian leader has invited the leaders of several nations to try to show he is not isolated over his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and most European leaders will not be attending.

Ukraine's foreign ministry urged countries on Tuesday not to participate in the parade, saying any such participation would go against some countries' declared neutrality in the war.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russian officials said air defence units destroyed Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow in a second night attack in a row, prompting the closure of all airports in the capital for several hours.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on social media at least 19 Ukrainian drones were destroyed on their approach to Moscow "from different directions," causing no major destruction or injuries.

Russia's aviation watchdog said flights were halted at all four airports that serve Moscow for several hours overnight to ensure air safety. Airports in a number of regional cities were also closed.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday the drone attack showed Kyiv wanted to continue the war. Zelenskiy has repeatedly said he wants a ceasefire, calling on Kyiv's allies to apply greater pressure on Moscow to put the measure in place.

DRONES ATTACK UKRAINE

Meanwhile, Kyiv said that Russia attacked Ukraine with 136 drones overnight, of which 54 were shot down and 70 others fell without causing any damage.

Ukraine says its drone attacks are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's overall war efforts and are in response to Russia's continued assault on Ukrainian territory, including residential areas and energy infrastructure.

In Russia's Kursk region, Kyiv forces attacked a power substation, the regional governor said, after Russian war bloggers reported a new Ukrainian land-based incursion into the area backed by armoured vehicles and drones.

"Dear residents, the enemy, in its agony, is continuing to launch strikes against our territory," Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukraine's military reported it had beaten back 18 Russian attacks over the past 24 hours in Russia's Kursk region, an area which Moscow said last month it had retaken.

(Reporting by Christian Lowe in Kyiv, Yuliia Dysa in Gdansk and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; writing by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Chris Reese, Stephen Coates, Michael Perry and Sharon Singleton)