A Ukrainian drone attack restricted flights at airports near Moscow, Russian officials said on Tuesday, showing Kyiv’s ability to strike at the capital three days before a planned parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
The drone volley targeted half a dozen Russian regions, forcing airports outside five cities, including Moscow, to suspend flights, according to Russian state news reports.
The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the strikes. It was not clear from the Russian report exactly how long the airports were closed.
It was also not clear that the barrage was intended as a threat to the parade, because Kyiv has been routinely shooting at Russia with long-range strikes, answering the nightly Russian bombardments of Ukraine. Russian drones on Tuesday hit the cities of Sumy, Kharkiv and Odesa, killing four people and wounding at least another 11, according to local officials.
Russia has said that about 20 foreign heads of state including China’s president, Xi Jinping, have accepted invitations to the Red Square parade on Friday; President Vladimir V. Putin has asked for a three-day truce in the war for the occasion.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has rejected that proposal unless Russia agrees to extend any cease-fire for at least 30 days, calling the shorter truce too limited to allow for negotiations about a lasting settlement. He has also said that the cease-fire was offered only to put guests of the parade at ease.
Mr. Zelensky said over the weekend that he could not guarantee safety for those attending the Victory Day parade.
The mayor of Moscow, Sergei S. Sobyanin, posted on Telegram that 19 drones were shot down over or near Moscow on Tuesday without causing injuries or damage even though debris had landed on a highway and near an apartment building.
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