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,

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.

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.