More than 600 Ukrainian drones were launched toward the Moscow region overnight, with most of them shot down, the Russian capital’s mayor said early Thursday as the city hosts a Russia-Africa summit.
The leaders of 22 African countries were at the two-day meeting, according to the Kremlin.
The TASS state news agency cited Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that it was “very strange” for Kyiv to target Moscow at such a time.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 613 Ukrainian drones had flown towards the Moscow region overnight, most of which he said had been brought down by air defence forces at some distance.
“231 drones were destroyed on the approach to Moscow,” he added.
Moscow is hosting the third Russia-Africa Summit, a two-day event attended by African leaders and government delegations from 48 countries.
The summit wraps up Thursday as Russia seeks to bolster Moscow’s diplomatic ties across the continent.
Speaking during a meeting in the Kremlin on the second day of the summit, Putin said that “Russia and Africa are united by truly strong bonds of friendship and close partnership.”
“We are natural allies in building a multipolar, genuinely democratic world order, free from diktat and double standards and based on respect for the norms of international law and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter,” Putin said.
Putin noted that Russia’s trade with African countries topped $27 billion last year and vowed to expand it. He noted that Russian companies have pursued major investment projects in Africa in such spheres as energy, mining, industrial cooperation and logistics.
Moscow first hosted the Russia-Africa summit in 2019, and then again in 2023. This week’s summit drew nearly 50 African nations, about 20 of which were represented by their leaders.
