Moscow, 6 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin early on Tuesday reported new drone attacks on the Russian capital.

At least 18 unmanned aerial vehicles on their way to Moscow from different directions were shot down by air defence forces, Sobyanin said on Telegram. Debris from a drone fell onto a motorway, but so far there have been no reports of serious damage or injuries.

Authorities reported that Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over the Voronezh and Penza regions. Initially, no damage or injuries were reported from there either.

For safety reasons, air traffic at Moscow's four airports, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky, was temporarily suspended, according to the Russian news agency TASS, which cited aviation authority Rosaviatsiya.

Additionally, air traffic was also temporarily suspended at airports in Kaluga, some 200 kilometres south-west of Moscow, Saratov, some 850 kilometres south-east of the capital, and Volgograd, some 1,000 kilometres south-east of Moscow.

The information cannot be independently verified.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reported a Russian drone attack on the city of Kharkiv. A residential building caught fire, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than three years. As part of its defensive campaign, it has also been attacking targets in Russia, resulting in deaths and injuries.

The casualties and damage are dwarfed by the devastating consequences of the conflict on the Ukrainian side.

There have been ongoing diplomatic efforts by the United States to broker a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev. US President Donald Trump recently proposed an unconditional 30-day truce, a plan Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted. However, Putin has rejected the plan.

Instead, Putin has declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire to coincide with the annual Victory Parade on Moscow's Red Square - which marks the end of World War II and is celebrated in Russia on May 9.

The ceasefire is scheduled to start at 12 am Thursday (2100 GMT Wednesday) and end at 12 am on Sunday (2100 GMT Saturday).

Kiev has rejected the limited pause and demanded that the ceasefire be extended to 30 days. "The Russians are asking for a ceasefire on May 9 and are themselves firing at Ukraine every day. This is cynicism of the highest order," Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Sunday.

MIA file photo