Moscow shoots down more than 80 drones; Russian attacks kill six in Ukraine
Escalating Drone Warfare and Civilian Casualties in Russia and Ukraine
Drone Attacks on Moscow and Surrounding Regions
June 22 (Reuters) - Moscow shot down dozens of drones in the early hours of Monday, just days after a repeated Ukrainian strike on the city's oil refinery, while Russian attacks in Ukraine killed at least six people, including a boy and his father, authorities said.
Eighty-four drones headed for Moscow were downed in the past 24 hours, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. He said emergency services had been dispatched to the areas where drones were downed but gave no further information.
The airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy near the Russian capital, had temporarily suspended flights, the aviation watchdog said separately.
Ukraine's military said it struck the Dubna satellite communications centre in the surrounding region.
In total, Russian defence systems downed 301 drones overnight, local newswires said, citing the defence ministry. That tally included Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
The latest raids follow a drone strike that hit Moscow's sole oil refinery last week, in one of the biggest air attacks on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Civilian Deaths in Ukraine from Russian Attacks
The drone attack early on Monday in Ukraine's Sumy region killed a 13-year-old boy, his 36-year-old father and 73-year-old grandmother, regional prosecutors said.
Regional governor Oleh Hryhorov said the 73-year-old was the mother of the man's roommate.
Russian drone attacks in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia overnight and early on Monday killed two people and injured a further seven, Ukraine's emergency services said.
They posted footage of firefighters dousing a building engulfed by flames and a blurred photo of firefighters picking up a board with a body in a black bag.
Russia also hit the southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Sunday evening, killing one and injuring three people, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. Vehicles and fuel storage tanks caught fire after the strike hit an agricultural facility, he said.
Impact on Crimea and Local Infrastructure
Elsewhere, the city of Sevastopol in Russian-annexed Crimea cancelled all open-air public events on Monday and will keep street lights switched off, its governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said, as he called on people to curb electricity usage.
Crimea, a popular tourist destination for Russians, has suspended fuel sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security, as Ukraine's drone attacks on its supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere led to a fuel crisis.
Maritime Security Threats in the Black Sea
Three Vessels Under Russian Drone Attack, Crew Member Killed
Russian drones hit a Turkish dry cargo vessel, the Victress, which was sailing under the Panamanian flag, Ukraine's navy said. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said a 58-year-old Egyptian cook was killed and eight other crew members, including Turkish and Indian nationals, had to evacuate on a lifeboat.
The vessel sustained significant damage, Kuleba said on Telegram. The operator of the Victress, Turkey's Rana Denizcilik according to LSEG data, could not immediately be reached for comment.
"Russia remains the main threat to the Black Sea security and prosperity," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
Kuleba said vessels operating under the flags of Palau and Belize also came under attack overnight, but nobody was hurt and the vessels resumed their journey.
Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine's maritime export routes, striking vessels and ports vital to foreign trade and the wartime economy.
(Reporting by Jekaterīna Golubkova in Tokyo and Anna Pruchnicka in Gdansk; Editing by David Dolan, Gareth Jones, William Maclean)
