The Kremlin complained of a “terrorist attack” when a swarm of drones struck Russia’s capital this week, reportedly without irony.
This morning, a swarm of drones struck the Russian capital, with air defenses fending off what are thought to be at least eight unmanned aerial vehicles. This was Moscow’s war in Ukraine making itself known at home once again. The mayor of Moscow said that explosions could be heard all around the city.
Although numerous buildings in Moscow suffered damage, either by drones that managed to get past Russia’s defenses or by falling debris, the Russian Ministry of Defense officially claims to have deactivated or shot down the whole assault.
Moscow roared as they announced the intrusion that the drone strike, which resembled the already almost weekly drone operations conducted by Russia against Ukraine, was a “Kyiv regime… terrorist attack.” Ukraine, on the other hand, maintained its custom of formally denying participation while expressing satisfaction with the event.
According to Russia’s version of the assault, out of the eight drones, three were brought down by electronic defenses and five were hit by anti-aircraft fire.
In the hours after the explosions, official media issued a rush of announcements on the incident, saying there were no fatalities, no hospitalizations, and that the city’s airports were running normally this morning. According to government sources, there was only “minor” damage to structures in the city.
Images from Moscow have been posted on social media and in local media. They show damaged facades, blown-out windows, and minor fire damage.
While the rarity of today’s strike makes it noteworthy, Moscow was last targeted by drones earlier this month during a purported attack on Vladimir Putin’s life inside the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Ukraine was once again hammered overnight by rounds of air attacks that happen often. The Ukrainian government declared in a statement that 10 different districts of the nation had been attacked by Russia the previous day, including by drones and mortars.
On the previous day, drone, rocket, and mortar assaults killed four people around the country. Four more people were hurt in Kyiv during the course of the previous night as a result of falling debris from Russian drones produced in Iran that had been shot down and started fires.
