Russia Says 2 Drones Hit Buildings in Moscow in Latest Wave of Attacks

The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday that Ukrainian forces had fired at least three drones at Moscow, the latest in a wave of attacks in Russia demonstrating that few places are off limits after more than 17 months of war.

One drone was destroyed in Odintsovo, outside Moscow, the Defense Ministry said, adding that two others struck commercial buildings in the capital after being intercepted by Russian air defenses. There were no injuries, Moscow’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app, but video footage from Russian state media showed blown-out windows and twisted beams in one of Moscow’s premier skyscrapers.

Ukraine does not typically claim responsibility for attacks in Russia, in an effort to maintain a military advantage and an element of surprise. However, senior Ukrainian officials said last week that recent drone attacks on Moscow were orchestrated by Ukraine.

A few hours after Sunday’s attack, a Ukrainian air force spokesperson released a statement that neither accepted nor denied responsibility.

“They got what they wanted,” the spokesperson, Yuri Ihnat, said on national television. “There is always something flying in Russia, including Moscow. Those who are not affected by the war are now affected, which creates certain moods. Russia can no longer claim it shot down everything.”

Ukraine has also been accused of using drones to attack Russian-occupied Crimea — with Moscow claiming on Sunday that a new wave was launched overnight — and oil facilities and military air bases deep inside Russia.

The attacks in Moscow, though they have become more frequent, have so far caused no deaths. They have also been far less extensive than the drone and missile strikes that Russian forces conduct nightly across Ukraine, often hitting civilian areas.

The first drone attacks on Moscow, on the Kremlin compound, came in early May, an assault that U.S. officials said was most likely carried out by one of Ukraine’s special military or intelligence units. They were followed by attacks at the end of that month on a high-end Moscow neighborhood.

This month there have been at least three drone attacks on Moscow, some coming within blocks of striking military facilities central to the war effort.

The attacks have upended the assumption of people in Moscow, about 500 miles from Ukraine, that the fighting would never touch them.

This article originally appeared in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/30/world/europe/moscow-drone-attacks-russia-ukraine.html">The New York Times</a>.