MOSCOW: Ukrainian drone strikes killed four people and wounded seven in Russia on Monday, local officials said, as Kyiv stepped up attacks in response to Moscow’s continued strikes on Ukrainian territory.
Most of the casualties were reported in the Moscow region, where Governor Andrey Vorobyov said three people were killed and three others wounded after a drone fell in the settlement of Pionersky in Istra.
Two more people were wounded in another part of the region, he added.
Vorobyov said Russian air defences shot down 81 drones over the Moscow region.
In Belgorod, a Russian region bordering Ukraine, local authorities said a woman was killed in a drone strike in the town of Berezovka. Two men were also wounded in Krinichnoye.
Drones also targeted the southern Stavropol region, where Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said a fire broke out in an industrial zone in Vyazniki, in Shpakovsky district.
Emergency and firefighting teams were deployed to the scene. No casualties were reported in Stavropol.
“The drone threat continues to be in effect across the entire region. Be vigilant and careful,” Vladimirov said.
Ukraine has increased drone strikes inside Russia, particularly against energy and industrial targets, saying the attacks are retaliation for years of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The latest attacks came as Ukraine’s allies prepared to meet in Paris for talks on increasing pressure on Russia to end the war.
