Europe

Russia downs drones close to Moscow and near Ukrainian border

Ukraine says it hit Russian military base in annexed Crimea

Ribbons in the colours of the flag of Ukraine are tied to the wreckage of a Russian military vehicle on display in Kyiv. Photograph: Laetitia Vancon/New York Times

Sat Aug 26 2023 - 10:54

Russia has reported a new drone attack on Moscow overnight, which again forced the temporary closure of three big airports serving the capital, and another in a southern region bordering Ukraine.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Saturday that a drone was brought down by air defence systems over the Istra district of the Moscow region. The district is some 50km (31 miles) west of the Kremlin.

Moscow’s Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports suspended flights for couple of hours, TASS news agency said.

In the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said air defences shot down a drone near the village of Kupino, with no reported damage or casualties.

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But he said four people were wounded by Ukrainian shelling of another village, Urazovo. He posted photos showing damage to buildings, one with its roof smashed in.

Ukraine did not immediately comment and almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia, which invaded it just over 18 months ago.

However, Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency said on Friday a Ukrainian drone attack had hit a Russian military base deep inside annexed Crimea, while residents reported casualties, explosions and a road closure.

Cross-border shelling and drone attacks in southern Russia have been a frequent occurrence for many months, but drones aimed at Moscow are a more recent phenomenon.

Two were fired at the Kremlin in early May. Since then, a business district of the capital has been hit several times and other parts of the city and wider region have also been targeted.

While they have not caused deaths or serious damage in the capital, they have brought the war closer to home for Muscovites, undermining the Kremlin narrative that its “special military operation” in Ukraine is proceeding according to plan

Early on Friday, Russia reported one of the biggest co-ordinated Ukrainian air raids yet over Russian-controlled territory but said air defence systems had downed all 42 drones attacking Crimea before they could hit their targets.

Ukrainian intelligence officials said the attack struck Russia’s 126th Coastal Defence Brigade based in Perevalnoye, a town more than 200km (120 miles) from Ukraine-controlled territory.

“We confirm that there was a hit,” said GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov, said Ukrainian media outlet Liga. Net.

[ 'A woman from Kharkiv admits that she vomited when she saw Russian tanks, right in the street’ ]

Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014, declaring it Russian territory. The US says it supports Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets on the Black Sea peninsula of because it should be demilitarised.

“People – not only on the Ukrainian mainland but also in Crimea – need to remember and believe that our victory and their liberation are not far away,” Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said of Friday's strike.

Perevalnoye residents, posting on the Telegram messaging app, reported hearing blasts from the military base and cited casualties.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

“Two people died on a firing range, one was taken to a hospital in a severe condition. This is information from above, from the firing range,” said a user nicknamed Abdul Has, whose profile picture shows a man in camouflaged uniform.

Another user, Vlad the Local, said roughly one person was dead.

“Why was a gate to the military town closed?” user Julia Julia asked.

Another resident with the call sign Lis asked others not to disclose information.

“Residents of Perevalnoye, I strongly recommend – don’t write here what happened and how,” Lis wrote. “We help them to direct fire in the future with that.” – Reuters

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023

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