11 March 2025, 06:41
This photo released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev official telegram channel shows a damaged apartment on the site where a shot down Ukrainian drone fell, outside Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday.
This photo released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev official telegram channel shows a damaged apartment on the site where a shot down Ukrainian drone fell, outside Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday. Picture: Alamy
Russia has claimed sixty-nine Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow have been shot down, as Zelenskyy departed Saudi Arabia ahead of talks with top US diplomats.
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It forms part of a wider wave of attacks on Tuesday morning, with Russia claiming its air defences shot down 337 Ukrainian drones - the largest attack in three years.
Russia confirmed one arm of the large-scale attack targeted the nation's capital, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
At least 11 of the drones were shot down in the Ramensky and Domodedovo districts of the Moscow region surrounding the Russian capital, with the news emerging on the messaging app Telegram.
He did not specify where the other drones were shot down, noting only that they were "flying towards Moscow".
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The attack comes as President Zelenskyy departed Saudi Arabia ahead of talks between Ukraine officials and US secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Mr Zelenskyy will not attend the crunch talks, in a bid to improve relations in the wake of his very public fall out with President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance in Washington earlier in the month.
This photo shows an apartment building where the downed Ukrainian drone fell at an area in Sapronovo village outside Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo)
This photo shows an apartment building where the downed Ukrainian drone fell at an area in Sapronovo village outside Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (AP Photo). Picture: Alamy
The Oval Office clash - branded an "ambush by many - saw voices raised in front of the world's waiting media, with Ukraine's future left hanging in the balance as European leaders banded together in support of the nation.
Mr Zelenskyy briefly met with Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman following a day of fasting for Ramadan on Monday.
On Monday, the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, said one person was killed and three more wounded as a result of the drone attack.
The attack damaged seven apartments in a residential building in the Ramensky district, he said.
Mr Sobyanin said the roof of a building in Moscow also sustained damage, which he described as "insignificant."
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 11th Mar, 2025. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) welcomes Ukrainian delegation during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's (C) visit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 11th Mar, 2025. Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) welcomes Ukrainian delegation during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's (C) visit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Picture: Alamy
Footage of the building, published by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, showed a charred spot on the facade of a multi-story residential building near the roof, with bits of the building's lining stripped off.
Mr Sobyanin said the roof of a building in Moscow also sustained damage, which he described as "insignificant."
Footage of the building, published by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti, showed a charred spot on the facade of a multi-story residential building near the roof, with bits of the building's lining stripped off.
The attack, the biggest on Moscow in months, came on the day of US-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia.
Authorities also reported shooting down or jamming drones in the Kaluga, Ryazan, Tula and Vladimir regions adjacent to the Moscow region, as well as the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine.