Moscow was hit by a drone strike in the early hours of Tuesday, according to Russian officials, the first attack to hit civilian areas of the capital and another sign that the war in Ukraine is increasingly touching Russia’s heart.
Five of the drones that attacked Moscow on Tuesday were shot down and the systems of three others were jammed, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
The attack has raised new questions about the Russian air defenses after the Kremlin explosions this month.
The assault followed another nighttime bombardment by Russian forces on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, which has faced a flurry of attacks which put the city in difficulty and put the country’s air defenses to the test.
The two attacks mirrored the rise in tension and the priority change ahead of the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Ukraine is no more entering further into Russian territory, while Moscow adjusted its tactics to inflict significant damage on Kiev.
Tuesday’s airstrike on Moscow comes weeks after an alleged drone strike on the Kremlin, a bold and symbolic attack on the president’s seat of power. Vladimir V. Putin.
US officials said the attack on the Kremlin was most likely orchestrated by one of Ukraine’s special military or intelligence units.
This is what we know about the attack.
What happened?
At least that’s what the Russian Defense Ministry reported eight drones they had attacked the capital and the surrounding region.
All the drones have been intercepted, as reported by the Ministry in a statement, in which it specifies the security measures electronic interference forced some to deviate from intended targets and that others had been shot down outside the city limits by air defences.
He did not specify what the goals might have been.
three residential buildingssa Moscow were damaged by drones after being intercepted, according to the Russian Attorney General’s Office.
Some residents were briefly evacuated early Tuesday, said Sergei Sobyanin, the city’s mayor.
Sobyanin said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that two people required medical attention, but no one was seriously injured.
Who is behind the attack?
Russia’s Defense Ministry blamed the Ukrainian government for what it described as a “terrorist attack“.
There were no immediate comments from the Ukrainian military, which usually maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity on any attack on Russian soil.
However, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyhe said Kiev was not “directly involved” in the drone attack on Moscow, although it was “Happy“to observe.
The Russian Investigative Committee, equivalent to the FBI, said it had launched an investigation into the attack.
What was the goal?
The target of the drone strike was not immediately clear.
A video verified by The New York Times shows a 25-story apartment building in the southwestern suburbs of Moscow slightly burnt on the outside.
The remains of a drone wing can be seen just outside the building.
Other videos verified by the Times were shot 13 kilometers away, outside a building where Russian media reported a drone had flown inside.
The footage shows two apparent drone wings outside the residential building.
In other video footage, a third building, which also appears to have been hit by a drone, has a broken window.
The three residential buildings that appear in the videos are located in the southwestern suburbs Moscow, in the upper-class districts of the city.
Because it is important?
Moscow is located about 500 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Although there have been drone explosions near the capital, Tuesday’s attack appears to be the first time a drone has hit a building within the city.
They were there this month night explosions on the Kremlin which, according to Russia, were an attempt on the president Vladimir V. Putin.
On the day of the blasts, Zelensky publicly denied responsibility, saying Ukraine was fighting on its own turf.
US intelligence officials said it was most likely one of Ukraine’s military or special intelligence units orchestrated the attack, adding yes “Low trust where the Ukrainian government had directly authorized it.
US officials have in the past expressed concern that Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil could provoke Putin without having a direct effect on the battlefield, one reason Washington has inmate Ukrainian weapons that could be used to strike deep into Russia.
The reality of the war in Ukraine has largely been perceived as distant by much of the Russian public, but the attacks on Moscow could change that and perhaps even threaten general support for Putin’s handling of what the Kremlin has called the “special military operation.”
One concern is that the attacks in Russia could serve as a pretext for Putin to escalate the war in some way, such as attacking important government buildings in Kiev and attempting to behead the government Ukrainian.
The Kremlin’s reaction to Tuesday’s drone strike has been muted.
Dmitri S. Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, told reporters the defense ministry “did the right thing” in responding to the attack, but declined to comment further.
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Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.