Moscow Shoots Down Nearly 60 Drones; Russian Attacks Kill Five in Ukraine

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
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Moscow Shoots Down Nearly 60 Drones; Russian Attacks Kill Five in Ukraine

Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)
Thick plumes of smoke with flames rise from an oil refinery following a Ukrainian drone attack in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia, June 18, 2026, in this picture obtained from social media. (Social media/via Reuters)

Moscow shot down dozens of drones in the early hours of Monday and briefly suspended flights at airports, authorities in the Russian capital said, just days after Ukraine hit the city's oil refinery again.

Ukrainian authorities said Russian drones had hit civilian merchant vessels, killing an Egyptian crew member, while drone attacks elsewhere killed at least five people, including three members of the same family in Ukraine's northern Sumy region.

Nearly 60 drones headed for Moscow were downed, Mayor ‌Sergei Sobyanin said on ‌Telegram.

He said emergency services had been dispatched to the areas where ‌drones ⁠were downed but ⁠gave no further information.

The airports of Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, as well as Zhukovskiy near the Russian capital, had suspended flights, though they were later resumed, the aviation watchdog said separately. In total, Russian defense systems downed 301 drones overnight, local newswires said, citing the defense ministry. That tally included Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.

The latest attacks come after drones again hit Moscow's sole oil refinery last week, in one of the biggest air attacks on the city since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The drone attack early ⁠on Monday in Ukraine's Sumy region killed a 13-year-old boy, his 36-year-old ‌father and 73-year-old grandmother, while the boy's mother and two ‌siblings were injured, regional prosecutors said.

In the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and three other ‌people injured after a drone attack, Ivan Fedorov, the local governor, said on Telegram on ‌Monday.

Russia also hit the southern Odesa region with an Iskander ballistic missile on Sunday evening, killing one and injuring three people, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.

Vehicles and fuel storage tanks caught fire after the strike hit an agricultural facility, he said.

Elsewhere, the city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea cancelled all open-air public events ‌on Monday and will keep street lights switched off, its governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said, as he called on people to curb electricity usage.

Crimea, ⁠a popular tourist destination ⁠for Russians, has suspended fuel sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security, as Ukraine's drone attacks on its supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere led to a fuel crisis.

THREE VESSELS UNDER RUSSIAN DRONE ATTACK

Russian drones hit a Turkish dry cargo vessel, the Victress, which was sailing under the Panamanian flag, Ukraine's navy said.

Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said a 58-year-old Egyptian cook was killed and eight other crew members, including Turkish and Indian nationals, had to evacuate on a lifeboat.

The vessel sustained significant damage, Kuleba said on Telegram.

The operator of the Victress, Türkiye’s Rana Denizcilik according to LSEG data, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Kuleba said vessels operating under the flags of Palau and Belize also came under attack overnight, but nobody was hurt and the vessels resumed their journey.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's maritime export routes, striking vessels and ports vital to foreign trade and the wartime economy.



Russia Vows Strikes on Kyiv in Response to Election-day Attacks

Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER
Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER
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Russia Vows Strikes on Kyiv in Response to Election-day Attacks

Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER
Smoke rises behind a multi-story building following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Dzerzhinsky, Moscow region, Russia, 20 September 2026. EPA/STRINGER

Russia vowed Sunday to "intensify" its strikes on Kyiv in response to a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow during three-day parliamentary elections.

"In response to the Kyiv regime's attacks on civilian targets within Russia, the Russian army will continue and intensify its high-accuracy strikes against military targets in Kyiv," the Russian defense ministry said, accusing Ukraine of attempting to "disrupt the democratic will of Russian citizens.”

Ukrainian forces fired more than 1,000 drones at Russia overnight, including hundreds that were launched toward Moscow, officials said Sunday, as the Kremlin was wrapping up the third and last day of its parliamentary elections.

Moscow’s mayor described the wave of drones as the “largest ever” drone attack on the Russian capital and said there had been damage to the Moscow Oil Refinery, which is among several sites that supply the Russian capital, and a residential building.

Across the wider Moscow region, the attack killed two people and wounded 20, local Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said. The dead were a 74-year-old man and a 44-year-old woman, he said.

Writing on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kyiv had used a range of missiles and drones in the attack — including Ukraine's domestically made Flamingo and Pelican missiles — to hit oil and logistics facilities.


Iran Shuts Language Center Affiliated with French Embassy in Tehran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Iran Shuts Language Center Affiliated with French Embassy in Tehran

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force take part in a military rally named Jan-Fada (those willing to sacrifice their lives) in Tehran September 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Iranian authorities on Sunday announced the closure of a French language center associated with the embassy, accusing it of having undertaken "illegal activities".

"Based on the Tehran prosecutor's office, the illegal center affiliated with the French embassy in Tehran, which has operated for years under the guise of language instruction, was closed," the judiciary's Mizan news website said, referring to the French Language Centre (CLF).

According to AFP, the judiciary accused the center of conducting "illegal acts that violated diplomatic conventions".

It alleged the center "abused its status as a language training facility" and sought to "identify and build networks among the country's elite figures while facilitating their departure".

There was no immediate comment from the French embassy.

Relations between Tehran and Paris have been strained in recent months.

Last month, France announced the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats in response to the brief arrest and banning of two French envoys to Iran.

Tehran had accused the two French diplomats of "interference in Iran's internal affairs".


Iran Reportedly Informed that US Plans to Resume Action

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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Iran Reportedly Informed that US Plans to Resume Action

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard salutes while riding on a float displaying drones during the state-organized "Janfada," or "Sacrifice for Iran," military-style parade in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran received information that the United States, with the backing of some regional countries, was preparing to resume actions against ⁠Iran, the country's central military ⁠command said in a statement on Sunday, according to ⁠state media.

The military said that any US attack would trigger sustained strikes on US bases and interests in the region, the report ⁠added, ⁠warning that regional countries supporting US aggression against Iran would be considered parties to the conflict.

This came after US President Donald Trump cut short a weekend at Camp David to return unexpectedly to the White House on Saturday.

Iranian parliament speaker ⁠Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that Tehran will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and US commitments are ⁠implemented.