Russian officials have reported more than 620 drones targeting Moscow overnight, marking one of Ukraine's largest attacks on the Russian capital in recent years. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian defenses shot down 180 drones over the capital region between Monday evening and 5am Tuesday, with 17 more intercepted en route to the city later.

The state-run TASS news agency described the barrage as the largest drone attack on Moscow in the past two years. The attack wounded three people, including a 10-year-old girl, according to Moscow region Governor Andrey Vorobyov. He said the most serious consequences were in Pavlovsky Posad district, where a house burned down, and several homes and a guesthouse were damaged in Bogorodsky district.

A warehouse east of Moscow belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries was also damaged in the assault. The company said its logistics complex sustained minor damage after debris hit the wall of the building. Ukraine has struck multiple Wildberries warehouses in recent weeks, claiming the company supplies components for Russian drones.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force reported shooting down or suppressing 111 of 147 enemy drone attacks overnight. Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said five people, including a nine-year-old boy, were injured in an overnight Russian attack on the city of Izyum. Russian drones also sparked fires and damaged buildings in Kyiv region's Brovary city, including an office building and warehouses, said Mayor Ihor Sapozhko.

With front-line fighting at a near standstill and talks frozen, Ukraine and Russia have significantly stepped up long-distance attacks, pushing the civilian death toll to its highest levels since the war's first months in 2022. In July alone, 437 civilians were killed in Ukraine, the highest monthly toll since May 2022, according to a United Nations tally. Russian authorities reported 79 civilians killed in Ukrainian attacks in July, up from the previous month.

Source: www.aljazeera.com