**Drone Attacks Hit Moscow and St. Petersburg Amid Wider Strikes**
In the early hours of the morning, Russian air defenses allegedly shot down three drones approaching Moscow, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. However, there is no word on any casualties or damage caused by the attack.
Sobyanin stated that emergency workers were on the scene, but no further details were provided. The incident occurred between 2-3 a.m. local time. Meanwhile, in St. Petersburg, Pulkovo Airport temporarily suspended operations at 5 a.m. due to reportedly approaching drones. This is not an unusual occurrence for Russian airports, which have previously experienced temporary shutdowns amid Ukrainian attacks.
**Russian Officials Claim Success Against Drones**
The Russian state media outlet TASS reported that drones were downed using electronic warfare systems east of St. Petersburg. However, The Kyiv Independent cannot verify these claims due to a lack of information from the Ukrainian side.
**Belgorod and Voronezh Hit by Drone Attacks**
In Belgorod Oblast, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that a Ukrainian drone attack had killed one person and injured six in the city of Belgorod. Another individual was reportedly injured in the region. In Voronezh, Russian Telegram media channels claimed that a drone had struck a residential building, injuring three children.
Regional Governor Alexander Gusev asserted that at least five drones had been downed over the region. It is worth noting that Ukraine regularly targets Russian regions along the front lines with drone attacks. However, Ukraine’s military has not yet commented on these wider drone attacks.
**Escalating Conflict**
This reported attack comes as Russia continues to intensify its own attacks on Ukrainian cities. The night prior, Russian forces launched waves of drones and missiles across Ukraine, resulting in significant power outages and casualties in various regions, including western oblasts far from the front lines.
In a recent development, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had launched over 1,800 drones towards Ukraine. Last week saw a record Russian attack on July 9, when Russian forces deployed 728 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, as well as seven Kh-101 or Iskander-K cruise missiles and six Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles.
**International Pressure**
As the conflict continues to escalate, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has 50 days to strike a peace deal or face stiff tariffs from Washington. This threat comes as Trump unveiled a new NATO-coordinated arms scheme for Kyiv, with U.S. Patriot air defense missiles already en route to Ukraine.
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