Moscow faces biggest attack in over a year as Ukraine drones kill four in Russia

MOSCOW - At least four people were killed in a major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian regions, including Moscow, which faced its largest assault in more than a year.

Three people died in the Moscow region and one in the Belgorod region, authorities said on Sunday.

Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said a woman was killed when a home was hit in Khimki, north of the capital, adding that rescuers were searching the debris for another person. Two men were killed in the village of Pogorelki in the Mytishchi district. Several residential high-rises and infrastructure facilities were damaged, he said.

Air defences destroyed 81 drones headed for Moscow since midnight, TASS reported, citing Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, making it the largest attack on the capital in over a year.

Sobyanin said 12 people were injured, mostly near the entrance to Moscow's oil refinery, while three houses were damaged. The "technology" of the refinery was not damaged, he added.

Russia's defence ministry said 556 drones had been downed over the country overnight and into the morning.

The country's largest airport - Moscow's Sheremetyevo - said drone debris had fallen on its territory without causing any damage.

- Vladimir Soldatkin, Anton Kolodyazhnyy; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and William Mallard/Reuters