Ukraine on Monday again targeted buildings in Moscow with drones. According to Russian state media, TASS, a drone hit a high-rise business centre on Likhacheva Avenue in Moscow.
However, multiple media outlets reported that the Russian Defence Ministry building was the main target as the attacked building was merely 2 km away from the defence headquarters. Another drone hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting several upper floors — more visible damage compared to earlier drone strikes on the Russian capital.
Earlier, there was no confirmation about who attacked the building but later a Ukrainian security official claimed Kyiv’s responsibility. “Drones attacked the orc capital and Crimea last night. Electronic warfare and air defence are becoming less and less capable of protecting the occupiers’ skies,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian minister of digital transformation on Monday. “Whatever happens, there will be more of it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova confirmed the attack and termed the incident “an act of terror”. “[It was] an act of international terrorism,” she told the RTVI TV channel, commenting on the incident.
It is worth mentioning drone attacks on Moscow buildings in recent times. In fact, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has also acknowledged the same and charged Ukrainian forces behind the attacks. In April this year, the Kremlin was attacked by a drone but none was injured during the incident. As of now, Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on Russian territory, except for a recent explosion on the Crimean bridge.
“So measures are being taken, a very intense daily 24-hour work is underway,” Peskov said, without offering any details about whether Russia’s air defence systems have been enhanced because of the increased attacks.
The Moscow-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said that authorities also ordered the evacuation of several villages within a five-kilometre (three-mile) radius of the depot that was hit. Aksyonov said the military shot down or jammed 11 attacking drones, while the Defense Ministry claimed later that 11 of the 17 attacking drones were jammed and crashed into the Black Sea and another three were shot down.
