UKRAINE has reportedly unleashed a kamikaze drone attack on a military base near Moscow.
Dramatic footage shows thick black smoke billowing in the air after the strike at the key Kubinka military air base, some 48 miles southwest of the Kremlin.
The building at the air base which houses strike aircraft and an air force display team sustained structural damage but no casualties were reported.
The damage was said to have been caused after it was downed by air defences.
The suspected Ukrainian hit, followed by a series of aerial attacks, forced a major airport in the area, used by Vladimir Putin, to close its airspace.
Another wave of drones led to Vnukovo airport the diversion of at least ten incoming domestic and international flights.
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The airport is routinely used by government officials including Putin and VIPs, and appears to have been closed for arrivals as a precaution due to exploding drones in the vicinity.
Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport said: “For technical reasons, independent of the airport, restrictions have been introduced at Vnukovo on the acceptance and release of aircraft from 05:10.
“Restrictions on the acceptance and release of aircraft at Vnukovo Airport were extended until 08:00 in the morning.
‘Other airports in Moscow and the Moscow region operate as normal.
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“All airport services and air traffic controllers of air traffic services operate as normal.”
The drones are not believed to have struck the territory of Vnukovo airport.
In a separate hit, a Ukrainian Valkyrja strike drone was reportedly shot down in the Belgorod border region, as was a Leleka – 100 reconnaissance drone.
At least five drones were electronically jammed and downed by Russian air defences, reports claim.
Footage shows a garage in flames after one of the jammed drones crashed into it and exploded in the village of Krivosheino.
Two drones flying towards Moscow were reported over the Kaluga region with eyewitnesses reporting seeing aircraft-type drones at an altitude of some 700ft.
One was black in colour, measuring around 10ft in wingspan and the other was greyish and smaller in size while other drones were said to be helicopter-type.
The drone attacks that happened between 4am and 6:30am local time were branded by Russia as a Ukrainian "terrorist attack."
Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin, a close Putin crony, said: "Today there was another attempted attack by Ukrainian drones in New Moscow, and Moscow Region.
"So far, the attacks have been repelled by air defence forces and all detected UAVs have been eliminated.
"For security reasons, some flights have been temporarily diverted from Vnukovo Airport.”
He added there were “no casualties” and “emergency services are working at the scene”.
Drone attacks have increased in Russia over the past few months with the latest one being last month near Moscow.
The target was the facilities of the 15th Motor Rifle Brigade of the Taman division at Kalininets village.
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In May, a wave of drone attacks was unleashed at a Russian oil depot sparking a massive blaze.
The inferno at the port of Taman covered almost 13,000 square feet and almost 85 firefighters were tackling the fire.
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