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Russia Says Ukraine Attacked Moscow with Drones 

Noctilucent clouds are seen over the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Noctilucent clouds are seen over the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 4, 2023. (Reuters)
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Russia Says Ukraine Attacked Moscow with Drones 

Noctilucent clouds are seen over the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 4, 2023. (Reuters)
Noctilucent clouds are seen over the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia July 4, 2023. (Reuters)

Russia said on Tuesday that Ukraine had launched a drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region that disrupted flights at one of the capital's main airports. 

At least three drones were intercepted in the skies over the Moscow region - including two just 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin, Russian news agencies said. One drone was detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region. 

Landings and takeoffs at Moscow's Vnukovo were restricted for several hours early on Tuesday before normal operations resumed after 0500 GMT. A number of flights were diverted on their approach to other airports. 

"The Kyiv regime's attempt to attack an area where civilian infrastructure is located, including the airport, which incidentally also receives foreign flights, is yet another act of terrorism," Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova said. 

"The international community should realize that the United States, Britain, France - permanent members of the UN Security Council - are financing a terrorist regime," she said. 

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. 

"At this moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defense forces," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram messaging channel. "All detected drones have been eliminated." 

There were no casualties reported, he added. 

One drone was shot down in the area of the town of Kubinka, some 63 km (40 miles) west of Moscow, RIA reported. A Russian air base is near Kubinka. 

Two drones were shot down near the village of Valuevo, the RIA news agency reported. The village is about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin. One was in the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region. 

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Wildfire in Southern Greece Leaves 2 People Dead

Firefighters walk on a road as a wild fire rages in the village of Ano Loutro, south of Athens, on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Firefighters walk on a road as a wild fire rages in the village of Ano Loutro, south of Athens, on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
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Wildfire in Southern Greece Leaves 2 People Dead

Firefighters walk on a road as a wild fire rages in the village of Ano Loutro, south of Athens, on September 30, 2024. (AFP)
Firefighters walk on a road as a wild fire rages in the village of Ano Loutro, south of Athens, on September 30, 2024. (AFP)

Two people died overnight in a large wildfire burning through forestland in Greece, near a seaside resort in the country's south, authorities said.

The fire service said about 350 firefighters, assisted by 18 water-dropping aircraft, managed to largely bring the blaze near Xylokastro in the Peloponnese region under control early on Monday.

Scattered fires burned in the area, but the initial large front had been put out, officials said.

Half a dozen villages were ordered evacuated overnight as a precaution after the blaze broke out on Sunday. There was no threat to Xylokastro. The flames were fanned by very strong winds blowing through forests left tinder-dry by a warm spring and hot summer attributed to climate change.

Authorities said the two dead men were believed to be local residents who were declared missing late Sunday. No one else was reported missing. There were no immediate reports of burned homes in the affected area, located some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of Greece's capital, Athens.

Another wildfire near Andravida, in the western Peloponnese was also brought under control on Monday, but firefighters remained on alert in the area for flareups, the fire service said.

Greece, like other southern European countries, is plagued by destructive wildfires every summer that have been exacerbated by global warming. Over the past few months, authorities have had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires in countryside left parched by a protracted drought and early summer heatwaves, in what was considered the most dangerous fire season in two decades.

A big investment in extra water-bombing aircraft, warning drones and other equipment have enabled firefighters to extinguish most blazes shortly after they broke out. However, in August, a ferocious wildfire swept through the mountains north of Athens, destroying scores of homes and killing one person.

Still, authorities say this summer's expanses that have been burned are about 25% less in size than the annual average of the past 20 years.