Vladimir Putin was left once again red-faced as in the early hours of August 23, a drone hit a building under construction in Moscow’s central district, located just five kilometres from the Kremlin.
This marked the sixth straight night of aerial attacks endured by the capital city of Russia.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed the drone was “another attempt” by Ukraine to carry out a “terrorist attack” using three drones.
Two were downed by “air defence systems” over the western part of the Moscow region, in the Mozhaisk and Khimki districts, while the third hit the building in the heart of the capital after being “suppressed by electronic warfare” and losing control, the Russian MoD said.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said the drone crash didn’t make any casualties, before also claiming: “At night, air defence forces thwarted another attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by three aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles on the city of Moscow.”
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Ukraine hasn’t claimed responsibility for this drone attack and has previously rarely admitted being behind moves carried out beyond its borders.
The crash in central Moscow came with a loud explosion heard across the central district shortly after flights were temporarily suspended at the city’s airport.
Russian state agency RIA said of the drone attack: “A loud sound was heard at about 3.00 Moscow time, a little later smoke rose from the buildings in the same area.”
Footage depicting the incident shows a massive blast as the drone hit the building, followed by a large plume of white and grey smoke.
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Pictures taken hours later show a huge hole in the building and blackened glass – signs of extinguished flames.
Citing emergency services, Russian-state agency Tass reported: “Window openings were knocked out in the building. The survey continues.”
Unmanned drones have become key instruments in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
On Friday, debris crashed into Moscow’s expo centre building after a drone was shot down by air defences. Early on Saturday, another building in the central district had been hit by a drone.
On Tuesday, British military intelligence said Kyiv had destroyed with a drone a supersonic bomber, the Russian TU-22M3, extensively used by Moscow in its air strikes against Ukraine.
Most recently, during the mid-morning of Wednesday, the Russian MoD claimed its air defence system had destroyed a drone from Kyiv flying above the Belgorod region, which neighbours Ukraine.
Seaborne drones have also been used, with Ukraine damaging both a Russian oil tanker and a naval ship in the Black Sea in recent weeks.
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