Ukraine launches massive drone attack on Russia

Ukraine has launched a major drone attack on Russia, hitting a microelectronics plant and forcing multiple Moscow airports to close.

Kyiv struck the Mikron factory in Zelenograd on Tuesday night, which produces microelectronics and semiconductors used to develop missile, air defence and radar systems.

Russia said 13 regions were targeted, including Moscow, Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver and Tula.

The Kremlin’s defence ministry said it shot down 296 drones, which included 40 heading towards the capital, affecting air travel for hours.

It said: “During the last night... anti-aircraft defence systems destroyed and intercepted 296 Ukrainian aerial drones.”

There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Russia’s federal air transport agency said flights were temporarily suspended at Moscow’s Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo airports.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the strikes. 

If Russia’s numbers are accurate, the attack would represent one of Ukraine’s largest drone strikes of the war so far, with Kyiv having increased its aerial assaults in recent weeks.

In an interview published on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, said Vladimir Putin was preparing to launch 1,000 drones at Ukraine in a single attack.

Mr Zelensky claimed that Russia has the capacity to launch around 350 Iranian-made Shahed drones every day and that it wants to increase this figure to 500.

He told reporters: “I don’t take the figure of 1,000 drones a day as constant, but I understand they could stockpile and launch a massive attack.”

The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was working on new technology to counter the increasing drone threat from Russia, which launched 900 drones in the three days leading up to Monday.

“We’re already using them. The question now is how fast we can scale,” Mr Zelensky added, emphasising the importance of international financial support, especially from Germany.

He went on to say that Russia is amassing “more than 50,000 troops” on the front line around the north-eastern Sumy border region.

Russian forces captured four villages in Sumy after the Russian president ordered his troops to carve out a buffer zone along the border.

“Their largest, strongest forces are currently on the Kursk front,” Mr Zelensky said, adding: “To push our troops out of the Kursk region and to prepare offensive actions against the Sumy region.”

Mr Zelensky later called for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Putin after the Russian leader failed to show up at peace talks in Istanbul earlier this month.

“If Putin is not comfortable with a bilateral meeting, or if everyone wants it to be a trilateral meeting, I don’t mind. I am ready for any format,” Mr Zelensky said.

He also said he would “very much like” Mr Trump to hit Russia’s banking and energy sectors with sanctions in response to the aerial attacks and Moscow’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire.

The US president continued to criticise Putin on Tuesday, warning that the Russian leader was playing with fire. Mr Trump cautioned that “really bad” things would have already happened to Russia were it not for himself.

Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official and Russia’s former president, dismissed Mr Trump’s criticism and threatened a third world war.

He wrote on X in English: “Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!”

Keith Kellogg, Mr Trump’s special envoy, described Medvedev’s post as reckless in response.

Gen Kellogg said on X: “Stoking fears of WW III is an unfortunate, reckless comment... and unfitting of a world power.

“President Trump is working to stop this war and end the killing. We await receipt of RU Memorandum (Term Sheet) that you promised a week ago. Cease fire now.”

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said Moscow would announce the next round of direct talks with Ukraine soon.