Russia claims that at least five Ukrainian drones were brought down over Moscow this morning in what it describes as a “terrorist attack”. The attack reportedly took place around 6 am local time (4 am UK time). The Russian defence ministry claims the drones were either shot down or jammed and that nobody had been hurt.
Russian news agencies are reporting:
- Two drones were intercepted in a village 30km southwest of the Kremlin;
- One drone was detected in the neighbouring Kaluga region;
- One drone was shot down in Kubinka, which is near a Russian air base;
- One drone jammed and crashed in the Odintsovo district.
The attacks led authorities to temporarily suspend take-offs and landings at Vnukovo Airport from 5.10 am (3.10 am UK time), but operations were able to resume there from 8 am (6 am UK time), the aviation watchdog confirmed.
Both the mayor of Moscow and Russia’s defence ministry spokesperson blamed Ukraine with the latter calling on the global community to condemn Kyiv and its Western backers after an act of “international terrorism”.
Ukraine has not yet responded to the allegations or claimed responsibility for the attack.
Russia has its own counter-blow ready as Ukraine continues its counteroffensive across all fronts, military analyst Professor Michael Clarke says. “The Russians are building up a lot of troops around Kreminna in the north,” he said.
“While the Ukrainians are preparing this sort of arc of possible offensive, the Russians are trying to get north of them in Kharkiv… tens of thousands of troops are building up, so Russia has its own counter-blow ready to go,” he added. He also said Ukraine’s lack of air superiority has played into Russia’s hands, allowing aerial attacks on convoys and troops stuck in heavily mined areas.
Ukraine’s tactics seem to revolve around making a breakthrough through the middle of the Russian line, but Professor Clarke said this was the “hardest thing to do” and that Ukraine would “probably go Ukraine ‘advancing in Bakhmut’ as Russia ‘urgently’ sends reinforcements – report
Ukraine has targeted an underdefended area around the city of Bakhmut and is advancing, a former Russian military commander said on Telegram. Igor Girkin added that the area, which is just to the north of Bakhmut, has urgently been reinforced by the Russian army.
“The enemy has an advance in that area, how deep it is – I can’t say, there is not enough information. But reserves were urgently sent there,” he said.to try and draw Russian troops away from that area by setting up something else further west”.
(With inputs from agencies)
