Ukraine forces carried out drone strikes in Moscow early on Monday, targeting non-residential buildings, including one near the Ministry of Defense headquarters.
A Kyiv official from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CNN that they were responsible for the operation.
The attack, described by Russia as a “terrorist attack of the Kiev regime,” used the Russian spelling for Ukraine’s capital. The drones struck their targets in the early hours of Monday, causing minor damage, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Telegram.
“On the morning of July 24, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to launch a terrorist attack using two unmanned aerial vehicles against facilities on the territory of the city of Moscow was thwarted,” the ministry said on Telegram.
![A member of the security services stands guard next to a damaged building in the Russian capital on Monday.[Photo/Courtesy] Russia - Ukraine war](https://news.switchtv.ke/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/230724092816-02-moscow-drone-attack-072423-1200x675.webp)
Russian authorities stated that they thwarted the attack, and the Ministry of Defense said two drones were “suppressed by electronic warfare means and crashed.”
Social media footages showed damage to the Russian defense ministry complex, and one of the buildings appeared to house the ministry’s military orchestra.
Speaking about the attack, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister of Digital Transformation, claimed responsibility and hinted at more strikes to come.
Fedorov’s ministry oversees the country’s “Army of Drones” procurement plan, suggesting that Ukraine is actively seeking to escalate the conflict.
The incident comes in the wake of Russia accusing Ukraine of launching 17 drones towards Russian-occupied Crimea overnight, with all the drones being downed by Russian air defenses without causing casualties, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The attacks in Moscow and Crimea follow Russian missile strikes on a historic Orthodox cathedral in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, resulting in one person killed and several others injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed retaliation for the attacks.
![A police officer blocks a road following a reported drone attack in central Moscow on July 24, 2023.[Image/Courtesy]](https://news.switchtv.ke/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/230724105215-moscow-drone-attack-0724-1200x675.webp)
In recent months, tensions have escalated between Russia and Ukraine, with both sides engaging in drone warfare. In May, Moscow suffered a drone attack that damaged buildings and injured two people. Earlier this month, Russia claimed to have destroyed or neutralized five Ukrainian drones in a similar “terrorist” attack.
Kyiv has rarely claimed responsibility for attacks on Russian soil or in Russian-occupied territories during the course of the conflict that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of the previous year.
The latest drone strikes further exacerbate the already volatile situation in the region and raise concerns about the potential for further escalations. With Ukraine actively employing drones and Russia facing threats from its neighbor’s military capabilities, tensions are at an all-time high.
Read also: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Unraveling Putin’s Motives and Geopolitical Factors
Russia’s Ministry of Defense assured the public that its air defenses were successful in neutralizing the drones, but the incident has certainly served as a reminder of the range and capability of Ukraine’s drone operations.
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