MOSCOW — Ukraine on Tuesday launched its biggest drone attack so far on the Russian capital, killing at least one woman, wrecking dozens of homes and forcing around 50 flights to be diverted from airports around Moscow.

Russia, the world’s biggest nuclear power, said it destroyed at least 20 Ukrainian attack drones as they swarmed over the Moscow region, which has a population of more than 21 million, and 124 more over eight other regions.

The governor of Moscow, Andrei Vorobyov, said several flats in two high-rise apartment buildings in Ramenskoye in Moscow region were set on fire.

Vorobyov said a 46-year-old woman died and three people were injured in Ramenskoye, while 43 people were evacuated to temporary accommodation centers.

Ukraine has so far not commented on the attacks, but the Kremlin on Tuesday said the attack showed Ukraine was Russia's enemy.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a daily call with reporters that the strike showed the need for Russia to continue its war in Ukraine, saying: "We must continue the military operation in order to protect ourselves from such displays of this regime."

Russia's defense ministry said earlier that of the 144 drones that its air defenses intercepted, half were in the western border region of Bryansk, 20 were in Moscow and 14 were over the Kursk region.

State media reported that the strikes shut down four airports in Moscow and more than 30 domestic and international flights that serve the Russian capital were suspended.

Russia's aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, confirmed on Telegram on Tuesday morning that three of the airports - Domodedovo, Zhukovsky and Vnukovo - had resumed operations.

In other developments on Tuesday, Russia said it had captured at least three villages in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.

The defense ministry also said it had "liberated" the town of Krasnohorivka, also in Donetsk.

Separately, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram that its air defenses downed 38 out of 46 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia.

They were shot down over a number of regions and cities including Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv and Poltova.

The air force added that Russia also launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and a Kh-31 air-to-surface missile.

Ukraine and Russia regularly launch overnight drone raids on each other's territory.

The latest wave of drone strikes comes as Moscow claims gains in eastern Ukraine.

In the last two days, Moscow said its forces had captured Memryk and Novohrodivka - two villages that are 24km and 10km from the key town of Pokrovsk.

Kyiv has not commented, but sources told the BBC that Ukrainian forces had retreated from Novohrodivka.

So far this month, Russia has launched a wave of deadly strikes on Lviv, Poltava and Kharkiv.

Russia's response to Ukraine has hardened after Kyiv launched its offensive into the country's Kursk region last month. — Agencies