Russia launched its largest drone attack yet on Ukraine, targeting Kyiv on Saturday, the day Ukrainians commemorated the 1932-1933 Holodomor famine.
The attack, which began in the early hours, involved 75 drones – 71 of which were shot down by Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described it as “wilful terror”.
It led Ukraine to retaliate and launch a "massive attack" on Russia overnight into Sunday, with the Russian Defence Ministry reporting it had shot down at least 24 drones and two missiles across four regions, including Moscow.
It also said Russian air defences had shot down two Ukrainian S-200 surface-to-air missiles that had been adapted to hit land targets. The missiles were shot down over the Sea of Azov, the ministry said.
Sergei Sobyanin, mayor of the Russian capital, said on his Telegram channel several drones had targeted Moscow, calling it a “massive attack”. Three airports in the Moscow area were forced to impose flight restrictions that were later lifted.
In Tula region, south of the capital, one person was injured when a drone hit an apartment in a residential building.
The overnight strikes were the heaviest in Russia in two months and the first time Moscow has been targeted since the summer.
The attacks followed Russian strikes against Ukraine on Saturday as the nation marked the 90th anniversary of the year-long Soviet-era famine known as the Holodomor, orchestrated by Josef Stalin.
The intensity of the Russian attacks receded early on Sunday, with another nine drones reported to have been shot down by Ukraine’s Air Force.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said five people were injured, including an 11-year-old girl, during the attack on Saturday and the city suffered severe damage.
In a post shared on Telegram, he said a children's nursery was also on fire after being hit drone fragments.
Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration, said it was "the most massive air attack by drones on Kyiv" in the war so far.
The Ukrainian Energy Ministry said the drone attack cut off power to an overhead line.
“As a result, 77 residential buildings and 120 facilities in the central part of the city lost power,” it said in a statement, adding that work was under way to restore service.
Air force chief Mykola Oleschuk praised the defensive role of “mobile fire” units, which accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the downed drones.
The Ukrainian military destroyed eight of nine attack drones launched overnight by Russia, the air force said on Sunday.
There were no immediate reports of damage or about where the remaining drone had struck.
The overnight attack was launched from the south-east.
In a Telegram post, Mr Zelenskyy condemned the attacks.
“The Russian leadership is proud of the fact that it can kill,” he said.
He drew parallels between the Holodomor and Russia's current invasion.
More than 30 countries and international organisations recognise the famine, during which at least seven million people died, as genocide committed by the Soviet Union. Russia denies this, attributing the famine to drought.
The target of Saturday's drone attack remains unclear, but Ukraine has been warning of potential Russian efforts to destroy its energy system.
“It looks like tonight we heard the overture. The prelude to the winter season,” Serhiy Fursa, a prominent Ukrainian economist, wrote on Facebook.
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Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Milkman by Anna Burns
Ordinary People by Diana Evans
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Circe by Madeline Miller
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The specs
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
