Ukrainian drones attack in Moscow

The attack occurred overnight from Sunday to Monday. “According to preliminary information, a drone hit a building on Mosfilmovskaya Street,” read a post by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. The Telegram channel Supernova+ published photos showing damage to one of the upper floors of the building, located about 3 km from Russia’s Ministry of Defence and 7 km from the Kremlin.

That night, Russian authorities claimed to have destroyed 117 Ukrainian drones across various regions, including the vicinity of Moscow. Ukraine regularly conducts drone strikes on Russian territory. It is difficult to say whether the high-rise was the intended target. Moscow is the most heavily protected area in the country, and it is possible that the drone’s actual target was elsewhere and it simply crashed into the building. Previous strikes on Moscow have caused temporary airport closures and power outages.

On May 9, Moscow is scheduled to host the annual Victory Day parade. This year, for the first time in decades, it will take place in a limited format, without displays of military equipment. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a ceasefire to Ukraine for that day. Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have rejected the proposal, responding: “They want the parade to pass calmly for a few hours and then resume attacks afterward. We don’t want any ceasefire to become a tactical deception by the Russian Federation.”