Russia has accused Ukraine of conducting a drone attack on Moscow, resulting in damage to two buildings and a brief shutdown of one of the city’s airports. According to Russia’s defense ministry, a drone was shot down in the Odintsovo district, west of the city center, while two others were neutralized but crashed into offices. One person was injured in the incident.
Ukrainian officials have not acknowledged the attack. The mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, stated that two office buildings’ facades were slightly damaged, and photos from the scene show broken windows and debris scattered on the ground.
Flights from Vnukovo Airport were suspended temporarily, and incoming planes were redirected to other airports. The defense ministry described the attack as an “attempted terrorist attack” that was thwarted.
This incident marks the latest accusation from Moscow against Kyiv regarding drone attacks. Ukraine rarely claims responsibility for such attacks inside Russia. Moscow, situated about 500 km from the Ukrainian border, has rarely been targeted since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, Russia has accused Ukraine of launching several drone strikes on its territory in recent months, including ones on the capital city.
In May, Russia claimed that Ukraine used two drones to attack the Kremlin, which Ukraine denied. Russia also reported an overnight drone attack on Crimea, territory that was annexed by Russia in 2014. According to Russian officials, 16 drones were destroyed, and nine others were suppressed.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported a Russian missile attack on the city of Sumy in the northeast, resulting in one death and five injuries. A building was destroyed in the explosion. Additionally, two people were killed in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, according to officials.