Ukraine targets Moscow with drones for second straight night, officials say

(Reuters) -Russian aerial defence units destroyed a swarm of Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow for the 2nd nighttime successful a row, prompting the closure of the capital's airports, Russian officials said aboriginal connected Tuesday.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that astatine slightest 19 Ukrainian drones were destroyed connected their attack to Moscow "from antithetic directions".

"At the sites wherever fragments fell, determination was nary demolition oregon casualties," Sobyanin wrote connected the Telegram messaging app. "Specialists from the exigency services are moving astatine the sites wherever the incidents occurred."

Some of the debris had landed connected 1 of the cardinal highways starring into the city, helium said.

Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said connected Telegram it had halted flights astatine each 4 airports that service Moscow. Airports successful a fig of determination cities were besides closed.

On Tuesday, Russia's aerial defence units destroyed 4 Ukrainian drones connected their attack to Moscow, with nary harm oregon injuries reported.

The warfare began much than 3 years agone erstwhile Russia invaded Ukraine, a determination Moscow described arsenic a peculiar subject operation. Since then, Kyiv has launched respective drone attacks connected Moscow. Its biggest onslaught successful March killed 3 people.

There was nary contiguous remark from Kyiv astir the latest drone attack. Ukraine says its drone attacks are aimed astatine destroying infrastructure cardinal to Moscow's wide warfare efforts and are successful effect to Russia's continued battle connected Ukrainian territory, including residential areas and vigor infrastructure.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly successful Melbourne; Editing by Chris Reese and Stephen Coates)