Russia accuses Ukraine of carrying out the drone attack

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July 24, 2023, 04:01 GMT

Updated 1 hour ago

photo caption,

A drone was reported to have fallen near the Ministry of Defence

Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind a drone attack that damaged at least two buildings in the capital, Moscow, early Monday morning.

The Russian Defense Ministry said two drones were “suppressed and crashed”, adding that there were no casualties.

Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency reported that a drone had crashed near the Defense Ministry.

Ukrainian officials have yet to comment, but they rarely claim responsibility for attacks inside Russia.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drone strikes hit “non-residential” buildings around 04:00 local time (01:00 GMT). He added that the buildings did not suffer any major damage.

But state news agencies reported that some drone fragments were found just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from Defense Ministry buildings.

“The attempt of the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist act using two drones on targets in the territory of the city of Moscow was stopped,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement sent to the telegram.

The state-run Tass news agency reported that drone wreckage was found along the city’s Komsomolsky Boulevard. Moscow’s transport department wrote on Telegram that traffic along the route was blocked and photos showed emergency services working at the scene.

Traffic also stopped on Likhachev Street, where a high-rise office building was damaged. Video footage published by the Zvezda military channel showed missing windows at the top of the building.

Moscow has accused Ukraine of carrying out a series of drone attacks on its soil in recent months.

And in May, Kiev denied carrying out a drone attack on the Kremlin, which Russia said amounted to an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a United Nations cultural agency, said it was “deeply dismayed and condemned in the strongest terms” the attack on the historic center of Odessa.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to respond to the attack.

“They will definitely feel it,” he said during his evening speech from Kiev. “The target of all these missiles is not just cities, villages or people. Their target is humanity and the foundations of our entire European culture.”

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