Ukraine launched a swarm of 105 drones across Russia, including at least 19 aimed directly at Moscow, prompting the closure of the Russian capital’s four major airports for the second consecutive night.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the scale of the attack early Monday, saying “105 drones were launched across Russia overnight,” and that all drones targeting the capital were intercepted.
The widespread closures of Moscow’s airports – Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky – caused major travel disruptions, while airports in other regional cities were also temporarily shut down. The attack comes just days before Russia’s high-profile Victory Day parade, a key annual event that President Vladimir Putin is set to host with international leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping.
Meanwhile, Russia has cancelled its own Victory Day parade in occupied Crimea over mounting safety concerns, highlighting the growing reach of Ukraine’s military operations.
Ukrainian Forces Strike Back Inside Russia
Beyond the skies, Ukraine has also carried out a second daring ground incursion into Russia’s western Kursk region, striking a power substation in a symbolic blow to Russian infrastructure.
This latest push follows last month’s major offensive in the same region — the biggest Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory since World War II — which Moscow claimed to have repelled completely. Russia’s top general previously declared that Ukrainian forces had been fully ejected from the region.
Kyiv’s renewed assault signals a shift in tactics, as Ukrainian forces take bolder steps beyond the frontlines and continue to exploit vulnerabilities deep inside Russian territory.
Trump: “Russia Wants to Settle” Amid Falling Oil Prices
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed in on the conflict, suggesting that both Russia and Ukraine are moving closer to peace negotiations — a shift he attributes to plunging oil prices.
“I think Russia with the price of oil right now, oil has gone down, we are in a good position to settle, they want to settle. Ukraine wants to settle,” Trump said.
Since the start of the year, global oil prices have dropped by around $15 a barrel, pressuring the Russian economy, which remains heavily dependent on oil revenues.
“We’ve come a long way, and it could be something will happen, but hopefully it will,” Trump added in a recent statement.
While official peace talks remain elusive, the combination of economic pressure, intensified Ukrainian strikes, and geopolitical scrutiny ahead of Victory Day may be setting the stage for a new phase in the conflict.
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