Ukraine launched one of the largest drone strikes on Moscow yet in the war on Wednesday.
Russian officials claimed to have destroyed all drones headed towards the capital as Ukrainian fighters pushed on in Russia’s western Kursk region in a counter-attack.
"This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones," Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel.
The Kremlin claimed to have downed 45 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 11 over the Moscow region.
Some Russian social media channels shared videos of drones apparently being destroyed by air defence systems, setting off car alarms.
Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, reported a "mass" attack on his region but said that all 23 drones were destroyed.
Ukraine has targeted Russian oil refineries and airfields with drones in an attempt to weaken Russia's fighting potential, and also has targeted the capital several times.
It comes as Kyiv’s forces staged a daring counter-attack across the border in Kursk, which has been met with surprising success, according to Ukrainian officials.
But the gains in Kursk come as Ukraine continues to lose ground in its eastern industrial region of Donbas.
The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, said in its daily report late Tuesday that the Ukrainians had made additional advances in their incursion in Kursk, now in its third week.
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The Russian state news agency Tass reported that 31 people had died since Ukraine's counterattack on Kursk began August 6, figures which have not been verified.
Ukraine's attacks on three bridges over the Seym River in Kursk, in areas it does not control, could potentially trap Russian forces between the river, the Ukrainian advance and the Ukrainian border.
Military analysts say the offensive appears to be slowing down Russia's response to the Kursk incursion.
Ukrainian forces also appear to be striking Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon engineering equipment over the Seym in an area west of the Ukrainian advance point, the Washington think tank said.
Separately on Wednesday, Russian officials claimed one person was killed and two wounded in Kursk after a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device on their car.
This was not confirmed by Kyiv.
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