On Monday, a day after Ukraine pledged retaliation for Russian strikes on Odesa, Russia accused Kyiv of “terrorism,” claiming that two Ukrainian drones damaged buildings in Moscow, including one near the Russian Defence Ministry’s headquarters.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated on Telegram that the drone attack on Monday caused no severe damage or casualties.
Drone Attack on Moscow
The Russian Defence Ministry mentioned that Russia’s air defence forces “suppressed” a Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow, accusing Kyiv of attempting a “terrorist act” against the Russian capital.
The Ministry said 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.” “Two Ukrainian UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) were suppressed by electronic warfare means and crashed,” the ministry added.
According to an emergency official, a drone crashed at 17 Komsomolsky Prospekt in central Moscow, while another hit an office building on Prospekt Likhacheva in southern Moscow, as reported by TASS, a Russian state media outlet.
Law enforcement and emergency services are currently working on the scene to inspect the damages. It was also reported that traffic on Komsomolsky Avenue from Moscow’s centre to the area had been suspended.
On Monday, the Russian Defence Ministry also accused Ukraine of launching 17 drones towards Russian-occupied Crimea overnight. The drones were shot down by its air defences, with no casualties, according to the Ministry.
“[It was] an act of international terrorism,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said regarding the incident, as the RTVI TV channel reported.
Consequences of the drone attack on Moscow
— Spriter Team (@SpriterTeam) July 24, 2023
▪️ One of the drones hit the skyscraper of the business center on Lihačov Street, the wreckage of the other was found on Komsomoljski Boulevard.
▪️According to eyewitnesses, there were people in the building of the Moscow business… pic.twitter.com/BW220dxpOX
Ukraine’s Response
“Today at night, drones attacked the capital of ‘the orcs’ and Crimea,” Ukrainian Deputy PM Mykhailo Fedorov said. “Electronic warfare and air defence are already less capable of defending the occupiers’ skies,” he added. Fedorov said on Telegram, “No matter what happens, there will be more of this.”
The drone attack on Monday came only one day after Russia launched missile attacks on Odesa, destroying the historic Transfiguration Cathedral.
The UN’s cultural agency, UNESCO, said it was “deeply dismayed and condemned in the strongest terms” the attack on Odesa’s historic centre. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged retaliation for the attack.
Previous Drone Attacks
In May, the Kremlin claimed Ukrainian drones targeted it to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the time, the Kremlin called the incident a “planned terrorist attack” and an “assassination attempt on Russia’s president.”
Several Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow earlier this month. According to Sobyanin, air defences downed all the drones, and no one was injured during the attack. Several flights were diverted from Vnukovo Airport to the nearest airports for security reasons.