A UAV has crashed into a building in the Russian capital’s business district, Sergey Sobyanin said
Moscow’s financial hub in July 2023. © Natalya Seliverstova / Sputnik
A drone has flown into Moscow City, the Russian capital’s financial and business hub, crashing into a building that is under construction, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in the early hours of Wednesday. He added that no one was hurt.
The Russian Defense Ministry later released a statement, saying that a total of three Ukrainian UAVs were on a mission to conduct “a terrorist attack” on Moscow. It said that two drones were destroyed mid-air, while the third one veered off course due to signal-jamming and crashed into a building in the city’s business district.
Moscow City, which contains some of Europe’s tallest skyscrapers, hosts the offices of several Russian ministries and agencies, as well as high-end apartment blocks. The district has been targeted by Ukrainian drones in the past.
Residents reported hearing loud blasts in Moscow City itself and in Khimki, the capital’s northwestern suburb. News agency TASS cited emergency services as saying that the damage to the building was minor.
A video posted to Telegram shows the drone hitting the multi-story building.
The wreckage of a different UAV was reportedly found in Khimki, where a residential block and a shop were damaged.
Ukrainian drones first reached Moscow City on August 1, when a UAV struck one of the office buildings of the ‘IQ Quarter’ complex. Kiev has stepped up aerial attacks deep inside Russian territory in recent weeks, as its forces have failed to break through Russian defenses on the ground during Ukraine’s much-anticipated offensive.