Moscow airports close as Ukrainian drones target city for second night

Ukrainian drones have targeted Moscow for the second night in a row, forcing temporary airport closures as the Russian capital prepares for a major military parade marking the end of the second world war that is expected to draw world leaders.

The consecutive attacks came before the annual 9 May victory parade, which this year commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union and its allies’ victory over Nazi Germany.

Vladimir Putin tried to call a three-day ceasefire for the 8-10 May anniversary; however, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, characterised the idea as self-serving and pointless unless it lasted 30 days in line with a US proposal that the Russian president has ignored.