Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia early Tuesday morning. Russian anti-aircraft defenses shot down 337 Ukrainian drones in over 10 regions, marking the largest drone attack by Kiev in three years, as reported by AP. This massive attack, which has left two dead and several injured, took place hours before the start of crucial talks between Ukraine and the United States in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Most of the drones, 126, were shot down in the border region of Kursk, parts of which are controlled by Ukrainian forces, and 91 more were downed in the Moscow region, according to a statement from the Kremlin's Ministry of Defense. The regions mentioned in the statement included Belgorod, Bryansk, and Voronezh, all bordering Ukraine, as well as other regions within Russia such as Kaluga, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, and Ryazan.
One of the deceased, as specified by regional authorities, is a 38-year-old security guard from a parking lot in the town of Domodedovo, where over twenty cars were incinerated by a fire caused by a drone crash. At the same location, the governor added, a 50-year-old man was critically injured and later died in the hospital.
"The most massive enemy unmanned aerial vehicle attack against Moscow has been repelled. In total, hundreds of combat drones were shot down at various locations," stated Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
Russian aviation authorities suspended operations at Moscow airports for several hours due to the aerial attack. The same measure was taken at airports in the cities of Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl.
An apartment damaged by the crash of a downed Ukrainian drone on the outskirts of Moscow.Telegram from the Moscow governor
The talks in Saudi Arabia reflect a new diplomatic effort following unprecedented discussions during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House on February 28.
Ukraine is expected to propose a ceasefire that includes the Black Sea and long-range missile attacks, as well as the release of prisoners, according to two senior Ukrainian officials. They also indicated that Kiev would be ready to sign an agreement with Washington regarding access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, something President Donald Trump is eager to achieve.
On his way to Jeddah, Marco Rubio indicated that the U.S. delegation would not propose specific measures to ensure the end of the conflict but rather wanted to hear what Ukraine would be willing to consider.
"I'm not going to set any conditions on what they have to do or need to do," Rubio told accompanying journalists. "I think we want to listen to see how far they're willing to go and then compare it to what the Russians want and see how far apart we really are."
Rubio mentioned that the agreement on rare earths and critical minerals could be signed during the meeting but emphasized that it was not a prerequisite for the United States to progress in discussions with Kiev or Moscow.