???? Live: Russian air defences down several drones near Moscow, state media report

Issued on: 04/07/2023 – 07:51

7:42am: Russia says Ukraine attacked Moscow with drones

Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had launched a drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region that disrupted flights at one of the capital’s main airports.

At least three drones were intercepted in the skies over the Moscow region – including two just 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin, Russian news agencies said. One drone was detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region.

Landings and takeoffs at Moscow’s Vnukovo were restricted for several hours early on Tuesday before normal operations resumed after 05:00 GMT. A number of flights were diverted on their approach to other airports.

“The Kyiv regime’s attempt to attack an area where civilian infrastructure is located, including the airport, which incidentally also receives foreign flights, is yet another act of terrorism,” Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova said.

6:32am: Russian air defences down two drones near Moscow, state media report 

Russian air defences downed two drones in the Moscow region on Tuesday, state media reported, adding there were no casualties.

“Two drones were suppressed by means of electronic warfare” in the region of New Moscow, emergency services told the TASS news agency.

A third drone was “shot down” in the Kaluga region, around 190 kilometres (110 miles) from the capital, TASS said.

According to “preliminary reports”, the three drones were heading toward Moscow, TASS said.

4:34am: Moscow diplomats meet with Russian detained in US on cybercrime charges

Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian national who is in pre-trial detention in Ohio on cybercrime charges, has met for the first time with Russian embassy employees, the Russian embassy in the US told the TASS state news agency on Tuesday.

Dunaev was a member of a cybercriminal organization that deployed a computer banking trojan and ransomware suite of malware known as “Trickbot”, the Justice Department said after his 2021 extradition from South Korea to Ohio.

“The compatriot does not consider himself guilty,” Nadezhda Shumova, head of the consular section at the embassy, told TASS.

“He does not intend to sign an agreement with the prosecutor’s office. Will stand to the end and fight for justice,” she added.

Key developments from Monday, July 3:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a major upgrade of anti-aircraft defences after Russian drones killed at least two people in the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Monday.

Zelensky made a joint call for the extension of the Black Sea grain deal with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how all the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)