Since yesterday evening, “air defence systems destroyed and intercepted 112 Ukrainian drones”, including 24 that were headed toward the capital, the ministry said.

Eight people were wounded in the Lipetsk region around 450km southeast of Moscow when debris from a falling drone struck an industrial zone in the city of Yelets and caused a fire, regional governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram.

Russia and Ukraine have deployed drones against one another on a near daily basis since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine more than three years ago, but Moscow has rarely been targeted.

Flights were halted at several Moscow airports yesterday, Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsiya said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rebuffed calls by Kyiv and the West for an unconditional and immediate ceasefire.

Russia now controls around a fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula which it annexed in 2014.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands, forced millions to flee their homes and destroyed cities and villages across the east and south of Ukraine.