Russia claims Ukraine attacked Moscow with at least five drones

The Russian military claimed on Tuesday (July 4) that it shot down five drones in an attempted "terrorist" attack near Moscow. The defence ministry said in a telegram post, "this morning, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using five UAVs against targets in Moscow region and New Moscow was foiled". No casualties were reported during the drone interceptions.

The ministry further said that four of the drones were intercepted by air defences in the New Moscow region and the fifth one was "suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed on the territory of the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region".

Frights were disturbed amid the chaos, and landings and takeoffs at Moscow's Vnukovo were restricted for several hours early on Tuesday before normal operations resumed after 0500 GMT. A number of flights from Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt were diverted.

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"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," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"The international community should realise that the United States, Britain, France - permanent members of the UN Security Council - are financing a terrorist regime," she said.

Russian troops at two major battlefronts

Serhii Cherevatyi, who is the spokesperson for the eastern grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Russia has reportedly deployed over 180,000 troops to the two major eastern battlefronts.

In an interview with Ukrainian media on Monday, Cherevatyi said that troops have been deployed across the eastern frontline. The official noted that the Lyman-Kupyansk front is longer, which is why the enemy is "concentrating their forces there" and also added that there are "more than 120,000 enemy troops" in the Lyman-Kupyansk direction at the moment.

Watch:Russia banking on drones to pepper Western artillery pieces

Fighting rages in south

On Sunday, Deputy Ukrainian Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said that the Russian forces have registered gains near the eastern Ukrainian town of Svatove.

She noted that the Ukrainian forces are resisting a Russian onslaught in eastern areas of the front and face difficulties in the northeast.

According to Maliar, "everywhere things are hot" in the east, with Russian forces advancing near the beleaguered cities of Avdiivka and Maryinka in the Donetsk region.

She wrote, "Our troops are facing intense enemy resistance, remote mining and the redeployment of enemy reserves, but are tirelessly creating the conditions for the fastest possible advance."

(With inputs from agencies)

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