Russia comes under heavy Ukrainian attack; 120 drones shot down over 12 regions, including Moscow

Moscow: Russia said Friday it shot down 120 drones over a dozen regions overnight, including over the capital Moscow, in one of the biggest such barrages of the nearly three-year conflict.

The defence ministry said air defences "intercepted and destroyed" 120 drones, as well as one over the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula. Russian media reported damage in various regions, including fires.

Meanwhile, Russian aerial attacks near Kyiv killed three people and wounded several others, Ukrainian officials said Friday, while Ukrainian drones targeted sites in 12 Russian regions, halting work at one factory.

Moscow has launched drone or missile attacks almost every day on the capital since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, ostensibly targeting military and energy facilities.

Black smoke billowed from a residential building damaged in the Russian strike as rescue workers hauled out the bodies of the victims, official images from the scene showed.

The Ukrainian air force said that its air defence systems had shot down 25 Russian attack drones over seven regions, including Kyiv and the western Lviv region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at Russia and said Ukrainian allies should clamp down on sanctions to stop Moscow from producing arms.

"There must be accountability for every component for the production of Shaheds and missiles that are supplied in violation of sanctions," he said in a statement on social media.