Ukraine Launches Second Night Drone Attack on Moscow

Photo: Reuters

Ukraine launched another overnight drone attack on Moscow, marking the second night in a row of such attacks. This led to the closure of all airports in Russia’s capital for several hours, according to officials. Moscow’s Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, reported that at least 19 drones were destroyed before they could cause any major damage or injuries. These drones were shot down from different directions as they approached the city.

Russia’s aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, said that flights were halted at all four airports that serve Moscow to ensure safety during the attack. Airports in other cities in Russia were also shut down for a short time.

Some Russian news channels, which are connected to security services, reported that one of the drones hit an apartment building in the south of Moscow, breaking windows. However, there were no injuries or deaths from this strike.

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So far, Ukraine has not commented on the attack, but according to CNN, Russia has also carried out drone attacks on Ukraine's cities, Kharkiv and Kyiv. The governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said that one person was killed in a drone strike in the region.

These attacks came just days before Moscow is set to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a three-day ceasefire from May 8 to May 10 to mark the anniversary, but Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the ceasefire as pointless. He offered a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire that would last for at least 30 days, as suggested by the United States in March.

This was the second night in a row that Ukraine launched drone attacks on Moscow. On Monday, Russia’s defense ministry reported that it had destroyed 26 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Ukraine has launched several drone attacks on Moscow since the start of the war that Russia began over three years ago. The largest of these attacks, in March, killed three people.

In addition to Moscow, the Voronezh region, which is close to Ukraine, also saw drone attacks. The regional governor said at least 18 drones were destroyed there. Some small damage was caused to a non-residential building and a children’s playground, but there were no injuries.

Russia’s air defense units also destroyed 10 drones over the southern Pena region, but again, no damage or injuries were reported there.

The full scale of the attack on Moscow and other areas in Russia is still not clear. Ukraine has not commented on this specific attack yet. Ukraine says its drone attacks are aimed at damaging key Russian infrastructure that is helping Russia in the war and are a response to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, including strikes on residential areas and energy facilities.