Russia has downed most of the 613 drones launched towards Moscow overnight, in a major attack on the Russian capital, Russian state news agency TASS has reported.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that air defence forces destroyed 231 of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on approach to the city, with the remainder neutralised on distant approaches between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3US man gets 30-year sentence for Minnesota fraud that drew Trump backlash
• list 2 of 3Activists accuse Israeli settlers of assault in occupied West Bank
• list 3 of 3Obama mocks Trump team’s Cheesecake Factory response

The attack marks the latest in a series of major drone assaults targeting the Moscow region, following a record attack in September during which air defence forces reported shooting down more than 1,600 drones.

Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine’s Kharkiv, the country’s second-biggest city, damaging an educational institution, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.