Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of launching a ‘terrorist’ drone attack that damaged at least two buildings in the capital Moscow early on Monday morning. The Russian defence ministry said two drones were “suppressed and crashed”, adding that there were no casualties. Media reported that the debris was found not far from the defence ministry’s buildings. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on his Telegram said that the two non-residential buildings were struck at around 6:30 am (IST).
At the time of reporting, it was unclear whether the drones struck the buildings when they were downed or whether they had deliberately struck the buildings. Both Mayor and the Defence Ministry kept their silence on the location where the drones were intercepted.
Russian news agencies while citing emergency services reported that the drone fragments were found near a building on the Komsomolsky Avenue, which runs through central Moscow. The said site is around 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) away from the defence ministry’s buildings. The reports added that after the attack, traffic was closed on Komsomolsky Avenue as well as on Likhachev Avenue in Moscow’s south, where a high-rise office building was damaged.
A young woman who lives near the struck high-rise building said, “I was asleep and was woken up by a blast, everything started shaking.
Zvezda, a Russian defence ministry television channel posted a short video on its Telegram channel that showed the high-rise building with missing windows on its top floors and the damaged structure.
Other Russian Telegram channels that had links to Russia’s security forces, published videos of glass and concrete debris on what they claimed was the Komsomolsky Avenue.
As per Reuters, there was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the recent matter. Ukraine has almost always maintained a secretive stand by avoiding claiming any responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. However, the former has been saying in recent months that destroying Russia’s military infrastructure helps Kyiv’s counteroffensive.
This alleged attack comes just a day after Russia targeted the Ukrainian port city of Odesa with fresh missile strikes, destroying the historical Transfiguration Cathedral.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of a host of drone attacks on its territory in recent months.
Earlier this month, Russia said Ukraine launched a drone attack on Moscow, forcing flights to be diverted from Vnukovo International Airport. Ukraine did not claim responsibility.
And in May Kyiv denied carrying out a drone attack on the Kremlin, which Russia said amounted to an attempt on President Vladimir Putin’s life.