Mysterious drone attack damages Moscow buildings, raises security concerns

Numerous buildings in Moscow sustained damage following an unidentified drone attack, although no serious injuries or fatalities were reported. Russian security services continue to investigate the incident, with no confirmation of the origin of the drones.

Sergey Sobyanin, Moscow Mayor, assured that no one sustained serious injuries from the attack and emergency responders reached all affected areas. Social media footage showed plumes of smoke rising over the city and several building windows shattered. Meanwhile, Russia’s security agency revealed that its air defence system managed to shoot down multiple drones as they approached Moscow, but the source of the drones remains unclear.

There has been no response from Ukraine regarding the recent drone attack. However, the incident occurred shortly after Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence, warned that Russia would face a “swift and harsh” response to any attack on Kyiv. Steve Rosenberg, an editor at BBC Moscow, reported hearing an explosion at around 6:24 am local time in the northwest region of the city. His building’s windows shook from the force of the blast, followed by another explosion at 6:58 am.

According to local Russian news agencies, around ten drones were intercepted in various Moscow districts. Most of them were shot down in the regions of Istra, Krasnogorsk, and Odintsovo. This attack on Moscow follows Russia’s drone strikes on Kyiv the previous night, which resulted in at least one casualty. Ukrainian officials reported that debris from the destroyed buildings triggered fires in several areas, while the air defence system destroyed over 20 drones.