Russia, Ukraine launch 'largest ever drone attacks' on each other

Russia and Ukraine both launched record drone attacks on each other overnight, as the Kremlin said it saw "positive signals" from US president-elect Donald Trump over his desire to strike a deal to end the conflict.

At least two people were injured and buildings were damaged in an overnight Russian drone attack on Ukraine's southern region of Odessa, Ukrainian officials said.

"The enemy has once again launched a massive attack on our region," the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Odessa region said on Sunday on its social media account. "Garages with cars and property were on fire, residential buildings, shops were damaged."

Oleh Kiper, governor of the region on the Black Sea coast, said, without providing further detail, that the attack caused some fires.

The Ukrainian military said its air defence downed 62 out of the record 145 Russian drones launched overnight, while it lost track of 67 drones and 10 more left Ukraine in direction to Russia, Moldova and Belarus.

"Odessa and other regions have been affected by the occupiers' attack. Apartment buildings and private properties were damaged, but there were no casualties," the military said on the Telegram messenger.

Video footage posted by the emergency services showed firefighters combing in the dark through a pile of a building debris and an apartment building with blown-out windows, while residents gathered in front.

There was no immediate comment from Russia about the attack. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Moscow launched with a full-scale invasion on Ukraine in February 2022, but thousands of civilians have since died, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.

Destroyed 25 drones targeting Moscow region: Russia

The defence ministry said Russia's air defence downed a total of 70 Ukrainian drones between 0400 GMT and 0700 GMT over six regions.

It said 34 were downed over the Moscow region and the rest over Bryansk, Orlov, Kaluga, Tula and Kursk.

Russia downed 25 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow overnight in one of the largest attacks on the capital since the conflict erupted in 2022, the city's mayor said.

He said most of the drones were heading toward the Ramenskoye and Domodedovo districts south of Moscow, temporarily halting flights at the Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports according to airport authorities.

Media reports said the attack caused a fire in a village in Ramenskoye, with several houses in flames.

The attack came as Russia is hosting diplomats and top officials from around 50 African countries in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for a ministerial conference.

Russian authorities report the destruction of Ukrainian drones almost daily but the attacks rarely target the capital.

Ukraine has said the attacks, which often target energy production sites, are a response to Russian bombings on its territory since fighting began in February 2022.