Russia and Ukraine launched a record number of drones at each other on Saturday evening, with the Kremlin saying it had seen “positive signals” from US President-elect Donald Trump about his willingness to strike a deal to end the war.

kyiv’s attempted strike on Moscow was the largest since the start of the war, with Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov calling it “massive.”

It forced the temporary closure of three airports, injured a 52-year-old woman and burned two houses in the Moscow region village of Stanovoye, officials said.

The Defense Ministry said Russian air defenses shot down a total of 70 Ukrainian drones in three hours in six regions.

According to the statement, 34 planes were shot down in the Moscow region and the rest over Bryansk, Orlov, Kaluga, Tula and Kursk.

Meanwhile, Russia launched 145 drones into Ukraine overnight, according to a social media post by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It was the largest nighttime drone strike against Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of the country began in 2022.

No injuries were reported following the strikes.

Mr Zelensky used the strikes to reiterate his call for more military aid from the West.

Trump ‘less predictable’ than Biden and Harris, Kremlin says

In October, Russian forces made their biggest territorial conquests in eastern Ukraine since March 2022, according to AFP and the Institute for the Study of War.

Ukrainian forces continue to hold territory in Russia’s Kursk region after a counter-offensive earlier this year.

Mr. Trump’s election last week boosted hopes in Russia that Ukraine would have to concede land as part of any peace deal.

On Saturday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there were “positive signals” that the new Trump administration would reach a deal to end the conflict.

The assessment comes after Mr. Trump’s transition team distanced itself from a Republican strategist’s comments that the new administration’s priority in Ukraine would be establishing peace, not restoring lost territory, including Crimea.

Mr. Trump himself has repeatedly said he could end the fighting within hours of taking office and would negotiate directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“What will happen next, it’s hard to say,” Mr. Peskov said.

He added that Mr Trump was “less predictable” than Ms Harris and Mr Biden.

“It is also less predictable to what extent he will stick to the statements he made on the campaign trail.”

Putin signs defense deal with North Korea

Russia’s gains come as nearly 10,000 North Korean troops are believed to be deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.

A defense agreement between the two countries was concluded in June, when Vladimir Putin visited the isolated country.

The Kremlin published the signed law ratifying the treaty on its website on Saturday evening.

The agreement formalizes months of deepening security cooperation between the two countries, communist allies throughout the Cold War.

The agreement requires both states to provide military assistance “without delay” in the event of an attack against the other.

It also urges them to cooperate at the international level to oppose Western sanctions and coordinate their positions at the United Nations.

AFP/Reuters