Ukraine on Thursday launched its largest drone attack on Moscow in years, sparking fires in and around the capital and forcing evacuations at the country's largest airport, officials said.
Unverified videos on social media purported to show large columns of black smoke over the city's skyline, while another showed drones buzzing overhead.
The large-scale attack came hours before President Vladimir Putin was set to meet Southeast Asian leaders at a summit in the city of Kazan, about 700 kilometers (435 miles) east of the capital.
Kyiv has stepped up its drone strikes on Russia in recent months, hitting oil refineries that fund Moscow's war chest as diplomatic talks on ending the more than four-year conflict remain stalled.
"Air defense forces are continuing to repel a large-scale attack. Several drones managed to reach the MNPZ [Moscow Oil Refinery]," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on Telegram, with authorities closing traffic on streets near the refinery.
