Huge Ukrainian drone strike shuts down all four major Moscow airports as blaze rips through capital

All four major airports in Moscow were forced to shut down following a huge drone attack, including one that reportedly left apartment windows shattered.

Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 19 Ukrainian drones flying towards "from different directions" were destroyed before reaching the city. He added: "Some of the debris had landed on one of the key highways into the city," but claimed there were no casualties. It marks the second consecutive night of air strikes on the , after a prior explosion tore through an apartment building in Moscow and sparked a fire. Aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia confirmed the airports were closed for hours "to ensure safety" before re-opening.

Telegram news channels with links to Russian security services - Bazaar, Mash and Shot - claimed apartment windows near a major road in southern Moscow were smashed by drone strikes. is yet to comment on the latest strikes, but the mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, said Russia had also launched its own drone attacks in Kharkiv and near Kyiv.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

According to regional governor Oleh Kiper, one person was killed in a Russian drone strike overnight in Odesa - a port city in southern Ukraine. Russia meanwhile said it shot down 26 Ukrainian drones on Monday night alone. It comes after three people were killed and five were wounded in an explosion that ripped through an apartment building in Moscow and sparked a fire on Sunday night, state media reported.

First responders raced to the scene in Moscow’s southwestern Yasenevo district and spent around an hour trying to put out the flames - which caused a section of the ninth floor of the building to collapse. At least two bodies were found on a balcony, the ministry said, while six others were being treated for injuries. Roughly 150 residents were meanwhile moved to a nearby school temporarily.

This week's consecutive attacks came ahead of Moscow marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War Two. Last Monday, President declared a unilateral ceasefire in the war to mark the anniversary. He said it will start from May 8 and will last three days, and challenged Ukraine to do the same.

“By decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, based on humanitarian considerations, during the days of the 80th anniversary of the Victory - from midnight on May 7-8 to midnight on May 10-11, the Russian side declares a ceasefire,” a Kremlin announcement said.