AT LEAST four people have been killed in massive overnight drone strikes on Russia just days after Vladimir Putin’s deadly attacks on Kyiv.
The blistering night of hell is understood to be one of the largest assaults on Moscow since the start of the war four years ago.
Russia claims it destroyed 556 drones – but several hit the capital, with pictures showing destroyed buildings.
Three died in Moscow and a fourth was killed in Belgorod, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
A further 12 people near the entrance to Moscow‘s oil refinery were wounded – but the plant itself was not damaged, Russia says.
Ukrainian Telegram Exilenova+ said it was the “largest attack on Moscow since the start of the full scale invasion”.
It added that “around a dozen targets were hit”.
The strikes send a chilling warning to Putin as they show Ukraine is able to penetrate Russia‘s air defences
A key missile factory was blasted in Dubna and electronics manufacturers were also struck.
A Transneft oil facility was hit, with plumes of smoke seen spewing into the sky.
And debris rained down on Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport – sparking the cancellation of over 200 flights.
The attack is a major blow to Putin’s war machine.
It comes just three days after Putin’s forces killed 24 civilians in a brutal strike on Kyiv.
A 12-year-old girl was amongst those killed in one of the worst onslaughts on Ukraine to date.
Moscow came under attack days later.
One woman was killed in a home in Khimki, north of Moscow, and another remains trapped beneath rubble, according to Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov.
Two more were killed in the village of Pogorelki.
One witness in Moscow – which has rarely been struck by Ukraine – said: “Everything’s completely ****ed up.
“The sirens have gone off. I ran out of the house, grabbed a bag and the dog. I’m panicking. I’m shaking.”
It comes as Putin recently suffered the humiliating loss of a £40million aircraft after Ukraine hit the plane more than 600 miles from the frontline.
The Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft was engulfed in flames from a pin-point attack in Yeisk, on the Azov Sea in the Krasnodar region.
It was reportedly just one of 20 of its kind and could land and take off from ground or sea.
Long-range missions over the frontline have also destroyed Ka-27 helicopters, a cargo ship loaded with ammunition and an anti-aircraft missile complex in recent days.
Russian authorities have launched an investigation into the failure of their air defences.
Volodymyr Zelensky praised the strikes and said: “These are completely justified responses to what the Russians are doing. We will continue to increase the distance and frequency of [these] sanctions.”