Early Monday morning, Moscow experienced a drone attack. One of the drones struck a high-rise office building in the southern part of the Russian capital, while fragments of another drone were discovered in the city center near the defense ministry, as reported by the TASS news agency, citing emergency services. Fortunately, there have been no reported casualties or injuries thus far. Simultaneously, additional explosions occurred in Russian-occupied Crimea, where another ammunition depot was targeted, according to an official appointed by Moscow.
#goodmorning #moscow capital of #RussiaIsATerroristState #Russia #wakeup under a #drones #attack air #Defense has been totally non-existent pic.twitter.com/7nIibB0qaf
— Marcus Iosif Coste Pascuta (@Marcus_Pesquz) July 24, 2023
Initially, there were indications that more drones might have been involved in the Moscow attack, but the defense ministry later confirmed that there were only two drones. Both drones were successfully disabled by electronic warfare systems and subsequently crashed.
A video capturing the arrival of one of the drones in Moscow circulated on social media platforms.
“Fragments of the drone were found on Komsomolsky Prospekt in Moscow,” TASS reported, citing emergency services. A video from Komsomolsky Prospekt, showing rescue forces in action, was published by the Russian telegram channel MASH.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed via Telegram that the drone attacks occurred at approximately 4:00 local time (3:00 CET) in the city with a population of millions. The drones struck two non-residential buildings, resulting in no significant damage or casualties, and emergency services were promptly deployed.
Reuters reported an explosion at an office building, with a witness claiming to have heard two explosions in Moscow.
TASS quoted a Russian official as stating that fragments of the second drone were found on Komsomolsky Prospekt, close to the Defense Ministry, which has led to the avenue’s closure. The Russian official attributed the attack to Ukraine, with the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Ukraine having persisted for nearly a year and a half.
In another incident, an explosion was reported at a building on Likhachev Avenue, housing the headquarters of the Russian branch of Leroy Merlin, a French retailer of DIY supplies. According to reports, windows on the upper floors were shattered in the blast.
Moscow has faced repeated drone attacks in recent months, with drones targeting some of the city’s most prestigious areas, including places like Lenin Avenue and the western Moscow district, where Russia’s elite, including President Vladimir Putin, reside.
In addition to the attacks in Moscow, explosions were also reported in Russian-occupied Crimea. Sergei Aksyonov, the head of the peninsula’s occupation administration, stated on Telegram that Ukrainian drones struck an ammunition depot in the Dzhanka area. He reported that 11 of the Ukrainian drones were shot down, and no casualties were reported. The explosions led to the disruption of traffic on the railway and the Dzhankoy-Simferopol highway in the vicinity. To ensure safety, the decision was made to evacuate the population of the surrounding villages within a 5-kilometer radius of the blast site.
There have also been reports of drone strikes near the airport and the Vesele military depot in Crimea.
Last week, two ammunition depots in Crimea were targeted, and the Kerch Bridge suffered damage, resulting in a blockade of traffic on the peninsula. Russia holds Ukraine responsible for these attacks, but Ukraine typically refrains from commenting on such incidents.
