
Three drones downed en route to Moscow, some flights suspended, officials say
Two Moscow airports - Vnukovo and Domodedovo - suspended arrivals and departures for safety reasons but later resumed operations, Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 27 Ukrainian drones in total from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Moscow time (1200-1600 GMT), including four over Moscow region, 15 over Bryansk region, six over Kaluga region and two over Tula region.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia and Ukraine edge closer to first talks in seven weeks
MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine appear close to agreeing to hold a new round of peace talks in Turkey this week, although the Kremlin said on Monday that the two sides held "diametrically opposed" positions on how to end the war. Two days after Ukraine called for new talks in Istanbul this week, Russian state news agency TASS quoted an unidentified source as saying that negotiators - who have not sat down together for seven weeks - may meet there on Thursday and Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told a gathering of his diplomats in Kyiv: "We need greater momentum in negotiations to end the war." He added: "The agenda from our side is clear: the return of prisoners of war, the return of children abducted by Russia, and the preparation of a leaders' meeting." Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is under increasing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to show progress towards ending the conflict, turned down a previous challenge from Zelenskiy to meet him in person. Putin has repeatedly said he does not see Zelenskiy as a legitimate leader because Ukraine, which is under martial law, did not hold new elections when his five-year mandate expired last year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that as soon as there was a definitive understanding of the date for the next round of talks, then Moscow would announce it. "There is our draft memorandum, there is a draft memorandum that has been handed over by the Ukrainian side. There is to be an exchange of views and talks on these two drafts, which are diametrically opposed so far," Peskov said. Ukraine and Russia have held two rounds of talks in Istanbul, on May 16 and June 2, that led to the exchange of thousands of prisoners of war and the remains of dead soldiers. But the two sides have made no breakthrough towards a ceasefire or a settlement to end almost three and a half years of war. Trump said last week he would impose new sanctions in 50 days on Russia and countries that buy its exports if there is no deal before then to end the conflict.


Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Father who moved family to Russia to escape ‘woke' America is sent to front line
A Texan father who moved his family to Russia to escape 'woke' America has been sent to the front line. Derek Huffman, 46, relocated to the small town of Istra, around 25 miles from Moscow, with his wife, their three daughters and their husky earlier this year. They did this through Russia's 'shared values' visa scheme, aimed at attracting foreigners who reject what Vladimir Putin calls 'destructive neoliberal ideology'. Mr Huffman had initially agreed to join the Russian military in a non-combat capacity, thinking at first he would be a welder and later a war correspondent. But despite having no experience as a soldier and limited understanding of the Russian language, he has been sent 'near' the front line in the war with Ukraine, according to his wife. DeAnna Huffman said her husband felt he was being 'thrown to the wolves' given that he had only received a limited amount of training, and that it was in Russian. 'Unfortunately, when you're taught in a different language, and you don't understand the language, how are you really getting taught?' she pondered in a vlog uploaded to the family's YouTube channel. 'You're not. So, unfortunately, he feels like he's being thrown to the wolves right now, and he's kind of having to lean on faith, and that's what we're all doing.' Mr Huffman's last message came in June, marking Father's Day in the US. Wearing camouflage and military gear, he appeared in a one-minute video addressed to his family. 'I miss you all more than you can imagine,' he said. 'I can't wait to see you, hopefully I get a vacation at some point and I get to go home and spend a couple of weeks with you. 'But man, you're on my mind 24/7 and just know that what I'm doing is important to me and important to our family. Just know I will do whatever it takes to be safe and to come home to you. Take care of each other.' 'Save this family' Since then, there have been no new images or videos of Mr Huffman. The family commented on their YouTube channel that he was 'doing fine'. However, a link on their channel, which has since been deleted, directed users to a Telegram group titled 'Save that little girls'. Created on Sunday, the group contained one message: 'We are asking the United States government to save this family,' along with a photo of Mrs Huffman and her daughters crying in the street. It is unclear if the family created the group. The Telegraph has contacted the Huffmans for comment. Their move to Russia was prompted by their dissatisfaction with what they saw as progressive overreach in the American education system. After relocating from Arizona to Texas, they were disturbed when their daughter Sophia was expected to speak about lesbian topics at school. 'The final straw was when we found out my daughter Sophia learnt about lesbians from a girl in her class. She didn't fully understand it, but for us, that was enough to realise something had to change,' Mr Huffman told Russia Today. A trip to Moscow in May 2023 convinced the family that Russia offered the traditional values they desired. 'The city was cleaner, safer, and more orderly than we ever imagined. Most importantly, we found a place that respected our values – where we finally felt at home,' Mr Huffman continued. Upon arriving in Russia, the family were featured in several state-affiliated media outlets, where they described their move as a rejection of Western cultural values. Mr Huffman said he wanted to earn his place in Russian society not via handouts but through service. 'The point of this act for me is to earn a place here in Russia,' he said. 'If I risk myself for our new country, no one will say that I am not a part of it. Unlike migrants in America who come there just like that, do not assimilate, and at the same time want free handouts.' But Mrs Huffman has since claimed her husband was misled. 'When he signed up and had all of that done, he was told he would not be training for two weeks and going straight to the front lines,' she said. 'But it seems as though he is getting one more week of training, closer to the front lines, and then they are going to put him on the front lines.' Mrs Huffman said in her vlog: 'It's been just a few months since our family made the big move from America to Russia, and while we've had amazing adventures, this journey has also brought deep challenges. 'Being alone in a new country, raising kids, and trying to stay strong has tested me in ways I never imagined,' she said. The Huffmans settled in an 'American village', a settlement in Istra created by US expat and blogger Tim Kirby, who has lived in Russia for two decades. It was founded in 2023 as a refuge for Americans fleeing what Mr Kirby described as 'liberal gender norms'.


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Ukrainian kindergarten hit by Putin missile as pics show giant crater in playground & rubble strewn across naptime beds
A KINDERGARTEN was destroyed by one of Vladimir Putin's missiles in another ruthless strike that laid bare the tyrant's war on Ukraine's children. The missile slammed into the building in Kyiv — leaving a gaping crater where toddlers once played and naptime beds buried under dust. 8 8 8 8 Heartbreaking images from nursery and kindergarten N706 in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district revealed the shattered remains of what was once a bright and joyful sanctuary. Tiny beds with purple throws turned grey as they were coated in ash. Fire-blackened doors hanging from their hinges. Walls once painted with fairytale castles and smiling flowers are now just a faint reminder of brighter, peaceful days. A broken window now frames a colourful wall drawing, eerily untouched by the chaos around it. Outside, the light blue walls of the school still stand, but windows have been blasted out and debris now chokes the floor and stairways. A man is seen carefully sweeping glass shards from a windowsill. Meanwhile, a woman walks her dog past the wreckage as a little girl stands, silent, beside her — staring at the ruins of the school. The strike was a part of a 10-hour Russian aerial blitz that saw 426 drones and 24 missiles hurled across Ukraine overnight. Kyiv bore the brunt of the assault, as explosions lit up the capital's skyline, forcing families underground once again. Warped Russian state TV parades 'drone death factory' packed with kamikaze killing machines after Ukraine blitzes Moscow The missile that hit the kindergarten came as Mad Vlad unleashed yet another wave of destruction across civilian areas. It marked the second time in three days that NATO fighter jets were scrambled in response to the bombardments. Ukrainian officials said at least 15 people were injured, including a 12-year-old boy, in the barrage. Subway stations turned into makeshift shelters as drones buzzed through the air above Kyiv. Homes and commercial buildings were caught in the onslaught, with rescuers racing between four districts to sift through wreckage and aid the wounded. 8 8 8 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed recovery, saying: 'Rescue and emergency efforts are underway in our cities and communities following the Russian attack… 'The waves of attacks lasted all night and continued into the morning.' The strikes came amid growing fears that Putin is preparing for an even deadlier chapter in this war. According to German Major General Christian Freuding, Moscow is plotting a mass drone assault involving 2,000 Shahed drones, in a bid to overwhelm Ukraine's already strained air defences. The general warned: 'We have uncovered worrying intelligence… [Russia is] significantly expanding its weapons production capacity.' Chilling footage aired on Russian state TV showed teenagers working in a so-called 'drone death factory,' with Moscow boasting about the 'huge, bright workshops' churning out kamikaze drones by the hundreds. Meanwhile, Ukraine has not remained passive. Kyiv's own drone army valiantly struck Moscow for the fifth night in a row, wreaking havoc at major airports and delaying over 400 flights as Russia's defences scrambled to respond. 8