Ukraine fired over 400 drones towards Moscow ahead of NATO summit: Mayor

Ukraine launched more than 400 drones toward Russia’s capital Moscow, the city’s mayor said on Tuesday, ahead of a crucial NATO summit in Turkey in which the war will likely dominate talks.

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The attacks underscore Kyiv’s use of long-range drones in the more than four-year war, with Russian border areas coming under fire and Moscow facing increasing drone attacks.

“From evening until 6:00 am (0300 GMT), more than 430 drones were flying in the direction of Moscow region,” Mayor Sergei Sobyanin posted on the state-backed MAX platform.

“Most were neutralized by air defense forces at distant approaches. 36 enemy UAVs were destroyed on approach to Moscow.”

Acting Belgorod regional governor Aleksandr Shuvaev said several Ukrainian missile strikes had targeted Belgorod city in the south-west and the surrounding district.

“In the village of Belovskoye, Belgorod district, a civilian resident was, sadly, killed as a result of the first missile strike,” Shuvaev said on MAX.

It comes after Russian strikes killed 30 people in Ukraine on Monday a day ahead of a crucial two-day NATO summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged allies to take “strong decisions” at the summit in Ankara just hours after the deadly strikes.

“It is critically important that the world -- first and foremost the United States and our European partners -- come out of the NATO Summit in Ankara with strong decisions in support of our air defense,” Zelenskyy said on Facebook.

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up long-range strikes in recent months, with both sides regularly reporting drone attacks and missile launches targeting territory far from the front line.

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