BREAKING NEWSUkraine hits MOSCOW in huge drone attack, sparking apartment building blaze, wrecking dozens of homes and killing at least one woman in shock blow to Putin

Ukraine unleashed more than 140 drones on Russia overnight, officials said Tuesday, killing a woman near Moscow, grounding flights and setting off air defences in several parts of the country.

Russias ministry of defence said in a statement it had shot down 144 Ukrainian drones overnight - 72 UAVs over Bryansk region, 20 over Moscow region, 14 over Kursk region, 13 over Tula region, and 25 more over five other parts of the country.

Moscow regional governor Andrey Vorobyov said in a Telegram post that a 46-year-old woman had been killed and several people wounded when a UAV struck an apartment building in the Ramenskoye district of Moscow region, some 30 miles southeast of the Kremlin.    

Ukraine launched swarms of attack drones over the worlds biggest nuclear power. Russia said it destroyed at least 20 over the Moscow region, which has a population of over 21 million, and 124 more over eight other regions.

Three of Moscows four airports were closed for air traffic following the attacks, Russias aviation authority Rosaviatsia said. A major road leading to the capital was partially closed.

A damaged residential building following a drone attack in Ramenskoye in the Moscow region on September 10

At least one civilian was killed in the drone attack. Moscow airports shut, major highway closed as massive kamikaze drone attack hit Moscow and nearby regions

The drone attacks damaged at least two high-rise apartment buildings in the Ramenskoye district of the Moscow region

The drone attacks damaged at least two high-rise apartment buildings in the Ramenskoye district of the Moscow region, setting flats on fire, Moscows governor Andrei Vorobyov said.

A 46-year-old woman died and three people were injured in Ramenskoye, Vorobyov said. He added that 43 people were evacuated to temporary accommodation centres.

Social media videos showed flames bursting out of windows of a multi-storey residential building, saying that dozens of flats were damaged in the Ramenskoye district.

I looked at the window and saw a ball of fire, Alexander Li, a resident of the district told Reuters. The window got blown out by the shockwave.

The Ramenskoye district, some 50 kms (31 miles) southeast from the Kremlin, has a population of around quarter a million of people, according to official data.

More than 70 drones were also downed over Russias Bryansk region and tens more over other regions, Russias defence ministry said. There was no damage or casualties reported there.

As Russia advances in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has been trying to take the war to Russia with a bold attack on Russias western Kursk region on Aug. 6 and increasingly large drone attacks deep into Russian territory.

Russia says the attacks are akin to terrorism as they target civilian infrastructure.

Ukraine says it has a right to strike deep into Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, though Kyivs Western backers have repeatedly said they do not want the war to escalate into a direct confrontation between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about Tuesdays attacks. Both sides deny targeting civilians yet civilians have died in attacks from both sides.

Ukraines domestic drone industry has been growing rapidly and Kyiv has been stepping up drone attacks on Russian energy, military and transport infrastructure. Russia is the worlds second largest oil exporter.

Tuesdays attack follows a deluge of drones Ukraine launched in early September targeting chiefly Russias energy and power facilities.

Authorities of the Tula region, which neighbours the Moscow region to its north, told Russian state news agency that a drone wreckage fell onto a fuel and energy facility, but that technological process of the facility was not affected.