Police officers and investigators collect parts of a Ukrainian drone that reportedly damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Tuesday, May 30, 2023.The Associated Press
Ukraine appeared to take the drone war to Russia on Tuesday, as Moscow’s air defences were forced to contend with a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles over the city after three days of intensive attacks on Kyiv.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported that eight drones attacked Moscow on Tuesday morning, just hours after the latest attack on Kyiv. Five were shot down by the city’s Pantsir air defence systems, the Russian military said, while the other three were “suppressed by electronic warfare, lost control and deviated from their intended targets.”
While Russian drone and missile barrages against Kyiv have become an almost daily and sometimes deadly occurrence – there have been 17 in May alone – the Kremlin called the strike on Moscow a “terrorist attack.”
“The Kyiv regime … attempts to intimidate Russian citizens and strikes at civilian buildings,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in public remarks. “It is, of course, a clear indication of terrorist activity.”
Mr. Putin said the attack on Moscow was a “response” to a Russian attack on the headquarters of Ukraine’s military intelligence service, known by its acronym, GUR, that he said occurred “two or three days ago.”
The appearance of drones in Moscow’s skies came hours after Major-General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of GUR, vowed revenge for the strikes on Kyiv.
“All those who tried to intimidate us, dreaming that it would have some effect, you will regret it very soon,” Maj-Gen. Budanov said in a statement published Monday on GUR’s official website. “Our response will not be delayed. Soon, everyone will see everything.”
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said several buildings sustained minor damage in the attack but there were no serious injuries. Other sources, including Baza, a Telegram channel linked to Russia’s security services, said as many as 25 drones were involved.
While Ukrainian officials were coy about who was behind Tuesday’s strike, military analysts said the attack appeared to involve Ukrainian-made UJ-22 drones, which have a range of about 1,000 kilometres. Moscow is about 800 kilometres from the northeastern edge of Ukrainian territory.
On May 3, a pair of drones were shot down over the Kremlin in what Russia said was an attempt on Mr. Putin’s life. No one claimed responsibility for that attack.
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Maxim Ivanov, a lawmaker from Mr. Putin’s United Russia party, said Tuesday marked the most serious assault on Moscow since the Second World War. He called for Russians to unite and confront what he described as the new reality. “You will either defeat the enemy as a single fist with our Motherland, or the indelible shame of cowardice, collaboration and betrayal will engulf your family.”
Russia invaded Ukraine 15 months ago, believing it could swiftly capture Kyiv and install a pro-Moscow administration here. However, the invaders were driven away from the Ukrainian capital, forcing Russia to rely on long-range strikes.
A view shows a damaged multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow.MAXIM SHEMETOV/Reuters
Earlier Tuesday morning, residents of Kyiv were awakened for a third consecutive night by air-raid sirens and the sound of Iranian-made Shahed drones operating over the city. Ukraine’s Air Force said 31 drones had been fired at the capital and that 29 had been shot down.
A 33-year-old woman was killed and 13 other people were injured in the attacks, which caused several fires in the city. The majority of the damage was caused by falling debris from intercepted drones.
Cruise and ballistic missiles were also fired at Kyiv on Monday, though all were intercepted by the Ukrainian capital’s impressive air defences, which include a Patriot anti-missile system donated by the U.S. In all, more than 170 drones and missiles have been launched at Kyiv since early Sunday morning, killing two people.
In his nightly video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country’s air defences had saved “at least hundreds of lives” on Monday alone. He also hinted at a long-anticipated counteroffensive that will try to drive Russian troops out of the roughly 15 per cent of Ukrainian territory they occupy.
“There is no greater humiliation for a terrorist state than the success of our warriors,” Mr. Zelensky said. “In fact, with our success, our pressure, our Patriots, we must and will continue to respond to all manifestations of Russia’s evil. And we will destroy this evil.”