Russian authorities have accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow early Monday, resulting in one of the drones falling near the Defense Ministry’s main headquarters and another striking Crimea. The Russian military retaliated by launching new strikes on port infrastructure in southern Ukraine.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, there were no casualties when the attacking drones hit two nonresidential buildings. The Defense Ministry claimed they jammed the drones, causing them to crash.
Reports from Russian media indicated that one of the drones crashed on the Komsomolsky highway near Moscow’s center, causing damage to shop windows and the roof of a nearby house. The target of the drone was not immediately clear, as it was uncertain whether it was aiming for the Defense Ministry’s headquarters or another location in central Moscow.
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Another drone hit an office building in southern Moscow, causing significant damage to several upper floors, more substantial than previous drone strikes in the Russian capital.
Ukrainian authorities did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, but this was the second drone strike on the Russian capital this month. In the previous attack on July 4, the Russian military reported downing four of the five attacking drones, while the fifth was jammed and forced down.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that there has been an increase in attempts to attack Russian regions with drones, prompting intensified measures to counter such attacks. However, no specific details were provided about any enhancements to Russia’s air defense systems.
In addition to the Moscow attack, Ukrainian drones also targeted an ammunition depot in northern Crimea, leading to the suspension of traffic on a major highway and railway in the region. Russian forces reported shooting down or jamming 11 attacking drones, while the Defense Ministry later claimed that 11 of the 17 drones were jammed and crashed into the Black Sea, with three others shot down.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s digital transformation minister, asserted that the recent drone attacks indicate that Russia’s electronic warfare and air defense capabilities are becoming less effective in protecting against such incursions.
Furthermore, Russian forces struck port infrastructure on the Danube River in southern Ukraine with exploding drones, injuring seven people and causing significant damage to grain hangars and cargo storage. The Ukrainian military reported downing three of the attacking drones.
These attacks are part of an ongoing series of strikes in southern Ukraine, which Russia claims are in retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on the Kerch Bridge. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the bridge a legitimate target, citing its use by Russia to ferry military supplies.
Since Moscow canceled a grain deal with Kyiv, Russia has escalated its attacks on Odesa, a critical hub for exporting grain. An attack on Odesa resulted in one fatality and 22 injuries, with 25 landmarks damaged, including the Transfiguration Cathedral. UNESCO condemned the attack on the cathedral and other heritage sites and announced plans to assess the damage.
The Russian military denied targeting the Transfiguration Cathedral, blaming a Ukrainian air defense missile for the incident. A total of 10 people were wounded in Russian attacks on Ukraine in the past 24 hours, with incidents reported in the Odesa, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions.
