Russia reports mass drone shootdowns, Ukraine claims strikes on Russian targets

Russia and Ukraine on Saturday reported heavy strikes and drone attacks against each other over the past day, as fighting continued along the front lines.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said that Russian armed forces had launched large-scale strikes on Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises and energy facilities used by the Ukrainian military in the past 24 hours.

The ministry also reported that, between 20:00 on Friday and 11:00 on Saturday, Russian air defense units shot down a total of 124 Ukrainian drones over southwestern Russia and nearby sea areas.

On the same day, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said there had been 153 combat clashes along the front lines over the past day. Ukrainian air force, missile and artillery units carried out strikes on Russian forces. In the early hours of Saturday, Ukraine also targeted multiple Russian military and logistics infrastructure sites.

Russian air defense force units downed at least 14 drones heading toward Moscow on Saturday, said Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

"Emergency services personnel are working at the site where the drone debris fell," Sobyanin said on Telegram.

According to Russian sources, the Ukrainian drone attack was one of the largest on Moscow so far this year.

Temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures were imposed for flight safety reasons at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport and Domodedovo Airport, said Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency.

On Saturday evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that between 11:00 and 21:00 on the day, Russian air defense forces intercepted and shot down 280 Ukrainian drones over various regions of Russia, including 47 drones headed for Moscow. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not make response in its daily report.

Russia reports mass drone shootdowns, Ukraine claims strikes on Russian targets

The U.S. decision to temporarily ease sanctions on Russian oil is intended to help stabilize global energy markets, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Peskov said Washington's move aligned with Russia's interests and could help calm energy markets as concerns grow over a worsening global energy crisis.

"Without significant volumes of Russian oil, stabilizing the market would be impossible," Peskov said.

He said the U.S. exemption applies only to Russian oil that was loaded onto ships before Thursday and does not signal a broader rollback of oil-related sanctions on Russia.

The U.S. Treasury Department issued a general license Thursday, allowing Russian oil shipments loaded before Thursday to be sold, delivered or offloaded through April 11, Eastern Time.

Since the United States and Israel launched large-scale military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted, sending international oil prices sharply higher. In response, members of the International Energy Agency agreed to release a combined 400 million barrels from strategic petroleum reserves.

U.S. easing of sanctions on Russian oil to stabilize energy markets: Kremlin