Russian air defence forces downed 12 Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow, the city's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Wednesday. Sobyanin, in a series of posts over four hours on the Telegram messaging app,

Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow for the second consecutive night temporarily halting flights at four airports, Russian officials said, as the city prepares to host a major military parade expected to be attended by world leaders including China’s Xi Jinping.

The fighting comes a day ahead of a planned parade in the Russian capital to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two - with President Vladimir Putin proposing a three-day ceasefire to coincide with the event. Ukraine has not agreed to the proposal and has pushed for a truce lasting at least 30 days.