Ukraine launched one its largest ever drone attacks on Moscow overnight, Russia’s defence ministry said.
In total, 45 drones were downed over Russian territory including 11 in the capital, the ministry said.
Moscow’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said the attack was one of the largest to date.
Russian media shared unverified videos of the attack, but Ukraine’s military is yet to claim responsibility for the airstrikes. Temporary restrictions were put in place at the Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports.
Separately, Ukraine’s air force claims it struck the position of a Russian S-300 air defence system in the Rostov region, with local authorities also reporting the downing of a missile.
Ukrainian forces regularly carry out drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, focusing on strategic targets such as military bases, oil refineries and industrial facilities.
According to Russian reports, an oil refinery in Rostov has been burning for four days following a Ukrainian drone strike on Sunday, with about 500 Russian firefighters working to put it out.
The attacks come amid Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, which began on August 6 and has seen thousands of soldiers sent into enemy territory, seizing control of about 480 square miles.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s top commander, said his forces have reached between 17 and 22 miles into Russia’s Kursk region, while Moscow was moving some of its troops from other directions to strengthen positions there.
Andrei Belousov, Russia’s defence minister, said the military has now formed three new military groupings to bolster security in regions bordering Ukraine.
The Kursk operation is the biggest foreign attack on Russia’s territory since the Second World War and it has been seen as a huge boost for flagging morale among Ukraine’s tired troops, as well as a strategic gain for the country.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, however, Russia is continuing to advance. The Donbas city of Pokrovsk, a defensive stronghold and logistical hub, is under the biggest threat, with about a third of the combat clashes on Tuesday taking place in frontline areas nearby.
Local authorities have ordered an evacuation of the city, warning residents they have two weeks to flee advancing Russian troops.
The capture of Pokrovsk would compromise Ukraine’s defensive abilities and supply routes and bring Russia closer to capturing the entire Donetsk region. It currently occupies 18 per cent of Ukraine’s territory.