Russia and Ukraine Exchange Series of Major Strikes
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Moscow faced a Ukrainian drone attack for the fifth night in a row, the city's mayor has said, as Russia launched yet another bombardment on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Video shared on social media showed chaos at Moscow's airports after the Ukrainian drone threat disrupted flight paths.
Meanwhile, at least one person was killed and several were injured in Ukraine's capital Kyiv following Moscow's latest bombardment.
Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries for comment.
Why It Matters
Russia is showing no sign of letting up in its drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, despite President Volodymyr Zelensky's invitation to hold peace talks with Moscow in Turkey later this week.
Kyiv's use of drones on Russia follows a warning in May by Serhii Bratchuk, from the Ukrainian Defense Army's Southern Division, about Ukraine's plans to disrupt aviation to make the Russian population pay for Vladimir Putin's aggression.
People walk past wreckage near a metro station following a Russian attack in Kyiv on July 21, 2025.
People walk past wreckage near a metro station following a Russian attack in Kyiv on July 21, 2025.What To Know
Russia repeated its mass drone and missile attacks on Kyiv overnight Sunday in strikes which local authorities said killed at least one person and injured six.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 450 drones and missiles targeting Kyiv, the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk and Kharkiv.
Explosions rocked Kyiv in the early hours of Sunday, with outdoor kiosks burning and smoke pouring from the entrance of the damaged Lukianivska subway station.
In Ivano-Frankivsk, air defenses were deployed during what the city's mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv described as the largest attack on the western region since the start of the war.
Meanwhile, more than 230 Ukrainian drones had been shot down downed over Russia since Saturday morning, including 27 over the capital, according to Russia's defence ministry.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the Russian capital faced a fifth night of Ukrainian drone attacks, but that the devices had been shot down by air defenses. Footage on social media showed debris hitting residential areas where several explosions were recorded.
Damage to a railway station in Kamenolomni, in the Rostov region further south caused by falling drone debris was also reported, causing hours-long train delays.
Russia was forced to temporarily close all four major airports in Moscow after Ukraine fired more than 230 drones over the weekend, officials said.
At least 140 flights were cancelled across Moscow following Ukraine's counterattack, which began Saturday morning, with 27 drones… pic.twitter.com/BjxVS74Q3K — CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) July 21, 2025
‼️🇺🇦✈️ Since this morning, Ukrainian drones have been attacking Moscow — reports indicate strikes and explosions have been heard in several locations. pic.twitter.com/ILI572C9BI — Visioner (@visionergeo) July 21, 2025
The threats posed by drones prompted restrictions to be imposed on flights from Moscow's Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, according to Russia's state aviation agency Rosaviatsia.
Two other major airports in Moscow were also temporarily closed and at least 140 flights were cancelled as images on social media showed disgruntled passengers trapped at the crowded airports for up to 12 hours.
Open source intelligence X channel Visoner said Ukrainian forces had been launching waves of drones at various regions of Russia, including Moscow, with the aim of overloading Russian air defense systems.
What People Are Saying
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Russian strikes are always an assault on humanity."
Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin: "Two drones attacking Moscow were shot down. Emergency service specialists are working at the crash site."
What Happens Next
After months of facing increased attacks by Russia on Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Ukraine's military appears to have intensified efforts in targeting Russia's capital.
Meanwhile, despite Zelensky's offer for talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "the main thing for us is to achieve our goals". These include Ukraine withdrawing from Russia-annexed regions and abandoning its aspirations to join Nato – terms that Kyiv and its Western allies have rejected.
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