Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking drones in Moscow and Crimea POLITICO

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Several drone attacks hit Crimea and Moscow overnight, prompting the evacuation of several villages on the Russian-occupied peninsula and damaging buildings near the Defense Ministry in the Russian capital, Russian officials said on Monday.

Drone strikes on two non-residential buildings were recorded around 4 a.m. this morning, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in the early hours of Monday, adding that there were no serious damages or casualties.

Two Ukrainian drones were taken out by means of electronic warfare and crashed over Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, blaming Kiev for the attack.

The drones damaged two buildings in the Russian capital, causing temporary traffic disruptions, state-run TASS newswire reported. One of the buildings is located a few blocks from the Russian Ministry of Defense in downtown Moscow.

An ammunition storage facility in southern Crimea was also hit by a drone strike overnight, Moscow-based Crimean Governor Sergei Aksyonov said.

It was decided to evacuate the population of nearby villages within a radius of five kilometers from the crash site, Aksyonov said. According to initial information, there were no casualties.

In a separate statement, the Russian Defense Ministry also attributed the attack to Kyiv, saying a total of 17 drones were used to carry out the attack.

Ukraine, which does not generally confirm or deny responsibility for such attacks, has not said it was behind either strike.

Moscow and Crimea have been the target of several strikes in recent months, with Russian officials blaming Ukraine.

The strategic Kerch bridge linking occupied Crimea with Russia has been hit twice this month.

In May, Russia claimed to have foiled a plot targeting President Vladimir Putin after the Kremlin was hit by a nighttime drone attack for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later denied responsibility.

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