MOSCOW/KYIV, (Reuters) – Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow today, Russia said in what one politician called the most dangerous attack since World War Two, while Kyiv was also hit by air for the third time in 24 hours.
Since Russia sent troops into its neighbour in February last year, the war has largely been fought inside Ukraine, though Moscow has reported some attacks on its territory and said one was an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin.
Tuesday’s early morning raid targeted some of Moscow’s wealthiest areas including where Putin and the elite have residences. He was later in the Kremlin and received a briefing on the attack, a spokesman said.
Russia’s defence ministry said eight drones sent by Kyiv and targeting civilians were shot down or diverted, though Baza, a Telegram channel with links to the security services, said more than 25 were involved.
Two people were injured while some apartment blocks were briefly evacuated, according to Moscow’s mayor. Residents said they heard loud bangs followed by the smell of petrol. Some filmed a drone being shot down and a plume of smoke.
Lawmaker Maxim Ivanov called it the most serious assault on Moscow since the Nazis, saying no Russian could now avoid “the new reality”.
Earlier this month, two drones exploded over the Kremlin in an attack Russia also blamed on Kyiv and said was aimed at Putin.
“The sabotage and terrorist attacks of Ukraine will only increase,” said another Russian lawmaker, Alexander Khinshtein, who called for a radical strengthening of defences. “Do not underestimate the enemy!”
UKRAINE ‘PLEASED’
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak denied Kyiv was directly involved in Tuesday’s attacks, though he said “we are pleased to watch” and forecast more.
At a messy stalemate for most of 2023 with Russian troops entrenched in some eastern Ukrainian regions, the war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions, reduced cities to ruins and caused havoc in the global economy.
Kyiv said four people died around Ukraine in Russia’s latest attacks on Tuesday, with 34 wounded including two children.
“Russia is trying to break us and break our will,” said Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
In the capital, Ukraine said it shot down more than 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones. Eleven people were hurt.
A 33-year-old woman died on her balcony when debris from a destroyed Russian projectile hit a Kyiv high-rise, officials said. Two upper floors were destroyed with people possibly still under rubble and flames engulfing the top.
Russia has attacked Kyiv 17 times in May with drones or missiles, mostly at night, in an apparent attempt to sapmorale. But Ukraine says U.S.-supplied Patriot anti-missile defences are achieving a 100% interception rate.
Kyiv is promising a counter-offensive backed with Western weapons to try to drive Russian occupiers from territory seized in Moscow’s self-styled “special military operation” to “denazify” its neighbour.
Western opponents call it an imperialist land grab.
ANNEXATIONS
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said almost 1.5 million people in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions have now received Russian passports.
Russia claims to have annexed the four regions but its forces do not fully control any of them, and the annexations have not been recognised internationally.
Moscow also annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014.
With Putin wanted by the International Criminal Court to face war crimes charges, there has been speculation over his possible attendance at an August summit in South Africa where authorities would theoretically be obliged to arrest him.
Asked about that, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would participate in the BRICS nations’ meeting at “the proper level”, with further details to be announced. The group comprises China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa.
Ramping up the rhetoric, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West’s backing for Kyiv’s peace plan was tantamount to supporting genocide because it would “destroy everything Russian” in east Ukraine and Crimea.
Russia has long accused the West of ignoring what it says is Ukrainian persecution of Russian language speakers.