Ukrainian drone strikes leave 60,000 stranded at Russian airports
Ukrainian drone attacks have caused major flight chaos in Russia, with delays, diversions and cancellations affecting at least 60,000 travellers on Wednesday, according to the Russian tourism association ATOR.
Airports in Moscow, in particular, experienced issues ahead of planned celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
At Sheremetyevo Airport, Russia's largest airport, 40 flights have so far been cancelled. Another 60 aircraft scheduled to land there were diverted to airports hundreds of kilometres away, such as Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg.
At least 50 flights were delayed by an hour or more. Nationwide, 350 departures have been affected so far, ATOR said.
International flights also disrupted
The number of affected flights is expected to rise further. "These cancellations and delays are not the end of the matter due to the nature of flight schedules. Aircraft that fail to arrive at their destinations on time will, in turn, delay subsequent flights," the association's statement read.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported the downing of 524 drones within a single day, which it described as a record.
The ministry made the announcement as Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago and continues to shell the country daily, prepares to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany with a grand military parade on Friday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to host international state guests at the event.
Three-day ceasefire to take effect
Ahead of the celebrations, Putin announced a temporary three-day ceasefire in Ukraine beginning Thursday.
Ukraine has dismissed the move as symbolic and, along with the United States, continues to call for a minimum 30-day ceasefire.
Meanwhile US Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg told Fox News that Ukraine has suggested a demilitarized zone, in remarks that have not been confirmed by the Ukrainian government in Kiev.
Ukraine is allegedly prepared to freeze fighting with Russia in its current positions and establish a 30-kilometre-wide security strip, Kellogg told Fox News on Tuesday.
Another proposal is that European countries such as France, Britain, Germany and others should monitor the airspace west of the Dnipro River.
There has been no confirmation of this information from Ukraine. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had heard nothing from the US about a Ukrainian proposal for a demilitarized zone.
Several Russian regions hit by drones
Ukrainian drone attacks hit several Russian regions overnight, including the Moscow area, the southern regions of Kaluga and Tula, the northern region of Yaroslavl and the republic of Mordovia, Russian media reported on Wednesday.
In Saransk, the capital of Mordovia, the authorities reportedly closed all kindergartens, schools and universities because of the drone attacks. Videos of fires in the city circulated on social media.
No damage has been officially reported. However, the independent internet portal Astra said the strikes hit a factory for fibre optics and a machinery plant, which is important for military production.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported that the Splav arms factory in Tula had been hit.
Ukrainian media said two military airfields were also hit, one in Kubinka in the Moscow region, and another in Shaikovka in the region of Kaluga.
Major mobile internet problems
Moscow residents can expect internet problems up to and including Saturday, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
There may be restrictions while state guests are in Moscow for the celebrations marking the victory over Nazi Germany 80 years ago, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov
"These are restrictions on the functioning of the mobile internet - for understandable reasons," Peskov told Russian news agencies.
"We have to take into account the dangerous neighbourhood we are in," he said.
Complaints about temporary mobile internet outages have been growing for days, especially in the capital.
Two reported killed in Kiev
Back in Ukraine, at least two people were killed after debris from downed drones hit residential buildings in Kiev overnight, sparking fires across several districts, the civil protection agency and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Wednesday.
The victims were found as firefighters tried to put out blazes in apartments which started after drone parts crashed into a five-storey residential building. Meanwhile, air raid sirens continued to sound in the capital in the morning, with Klitschko instructing residents to take cover.
Klitschko said that eight other people were also injured, including four children. The civil defence authorities spoke of five injured. Teymur Tkachenko, head of the city's military administration, also spoke of five injured on Telegram.
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