Russia accuses Ukraine of Moscow drone attack as Kyiv bombs for third day

Key points
  • The drone attack on Moscow led to the evacuation of some buildings.
  • The Russian military launched a new wave of air strikes on Kyiv.
  • One person died as a result of the collapse of the wreckage of an apartment building in Kyiv.
Ukrainian drone strikes have hit wealthy areas of Moscow, Russian authorities say, and officials in Kyiv say the city has also been hit by airstrikes for the third time in 24 hours.
Since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to its neighbor in February 2022, the war has been largely fought inside Ukraine.

Air strikes against targets further from the front line have increased in recent times amid a stalemate on the ground as Russian forces entrenched themselves in eastern and southern Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry said eight drones sent by Ukraine and aimed at civilians were shot down or diverted with electronic jammers, although Baza, a Telegram channel with ties to the security services, said more than 25 were involved.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to the President of Ukraine, denied Ukraine’s direct involvement, but said “we are happy to watch the events” and predict more such strikes.
According to the mayor of Moscow, two people were injured during a short evacuation of some residential buildings.
Local residents said they heard loud pops and the smell of gasoline. Some filmed a downed drone and a plume of smoke.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, a drone salvo targeted some of Moscow’s most prestigious neighborhoods, including areas where Mr. Putin and the elite live.

Moscow drone attack

On Tuesday, May 30, 2023, a Ukrainian drone reportedly damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia. Source: AP / AP

He was later in the Kremlin and received a briefing on the attack, the spokesman said.

Mr. Putin said the largest-ever Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow was an attempt to intimidate and provoke Russia, and that air defenses around the Russian capital would be stepped up.
Ukraine, according to Putin, has taken the path of “intimidation of Russia, Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings.”
Civilian facilities in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities have been repeatedly attacked by Russian drones and missiles since the first days of the war.
But Tuesday marked only the second time that the Russian capital came under direct shelling, following an apparent drone strike on the Kremlin earlier this month, in which Russia also placed the blame on Ukraine and said it was meant to assassinate Putin.
The White House said it was still gathering information about reports of drone strikes on Moscow and confirmed that the United States did not support attacks on Russian soil.

The US is “focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training it needs to reclaim its sovereign territory,” the spokesman said in a statement.

Russian MP Maxim Ivanov called it the most serious attack on Moscow since Nazi Germany’s invasion of World War II, saying that now no Russian can escape the “new reality.”
“Ukraine’s sabotage and terrorist acts will only intensify,” said another Russian MP Alexander Khinshtein, calling for a radical increase in defense.
“Don’t underestimate the enemy!”
Russian state television quietly covered the attacks, and many Muscovites continued to live with the fatalism they are known for.
Most shrugged and many expressed regret that the conflict seemed to be spreading.
Olga, who said she lived near the site of one of the drone strikes on Profsoyuznaya Street, called the strikes “logical, which was to be expected…what else were we expecting?”.
Ukraine said the latest Russian attacks around Ukraine on Tuesday killed four people and injured 34 people, including two children.

“Russia is trying to break us and break our will,” Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said.

The authorities of the capital said that Ukraine shot down more than 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones.
The top two floors were destroyed, people may still be under the rubble, and flames engulfed the top.
As Mr. Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court to face war crimes charges, there have been rumors about his possible participation in the August summit in South Africa, where the authorities would theoretically be required to arrest him.
When asked about this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would participate in the BRICS meeting at an “appropriate level”, details would be announced later.
The group includes China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa.

Meanwhile, Russia has put Ukraine’s top generals on the wanted list, RIA reports.