Moscow, May 8 (IANS) Russian air defence forces shot down at least 37 drones flying toward Moscow on Friday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Emergency services are working at sites where debris from the intercepted drones fell, Sobyanin said on Telegram.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defence Ministry said air defence systems had shot down 145 Ukrainian drones in seven hours from 7 am to 2 pm (0400-1100 GMT) across multiple regions, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, the Russian capital experienced one of the largest drone attacks this year, with 61 drones downed throughout the day, according to the TASS news agency, citing Sobyanin

Meanwhile, A Ukrainian drone strike on the administrative building of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch disrupted operations at 13 airports across southern Russia, the Russian Ministry of Transport said Friday.

Operations at the regional air traffic control centre in Rostov-on-Don, which manages air traffic across southern Russia, were temporarily adjusted after the strike, the ministry said in a statement.

All personnel at the facility are safe while specialists are assessing the equipment’s operational status, the statement said.

The ministry and the Federal Air Transport Agency are coordinating with airlines and airports to revise flight schedules and modify air traffic management procedures in the region.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of continuing attacks despite a declared ceasefire.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the Russian Defence Ministry said Ukrainian forces had carried out more than 1,300 ceasefire violations involving drones, artillery attacks on border regions, adding that Russian forces had responded symmetrically with retaliatory strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces continued overnight attacks along the frontline and launched hundreds of drone strikes, adding that Ukraine would respond in kind.

In a post on X, Zelensky said that as of 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT), Russia had carried out more than 140 strikes and 10 assaults on Ukraine’s positions along the frontline.

On Monday, the Russian ministry announced a ceasefire with Ukraine on Friday and Saturday to mark the World War II Victory Day, but Zelensky said Ukraine would implement a ceasefire with Russia starting Wednesday.

–IANS

ksk/as