Authorities in Moscow have confirmed that the Russian capital experienced a series of drone attacks, leading to reports of explosions and buildings being hit. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated on Telegram that there was “insignificant damage” to some buildings, with two of them being evacuated. He reassured the public that no serious injuries had been reported thus far.
The Investigative Committee of Russia has initiated an investigation into the incidents, with efforts underway to identify those involved in the attacks, as reported by state news agency Tass.
According to posts on Russian Telegram channels, the attack occurred at around 4 a.m. local time and involved approximately 30 drones, of which 10 were reportedly destroyed. Moscow Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov mentioned that several drones were successfully “shot down” as they approached the city.
One of the drones reportedly struck the upper floors of a residential building on Profsoyuznaya Street, located about eight miles southwest of the Kremlin in the Cheryomushki District. Another drone allegedly flew into the 14th floor of a high-rise building on Leninsky Avenue in the same vicinity but did not explode. A different drone caused damage to a building on Atlasova Street, further southwest.
Journalist Max Seddon shared a video on Twitter, sourced from the Telegram channel Shot, which appeared to show a drone being targeted over Rublyovka, an area known as “the home of Russia’s elite.” Seddon suggested that the drone attack could be seen as potential retaliation for previous drone and missile strikes on Kyiv.
Ukrainian internal affairs advisor Anton Gerashchenko also tweeted a video and mentioned the presence of air defense in Moscow during the attacks.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that five drones were shot down by the Pantsir-S SAM system in response to a “terrorist drone attack” launched by Kyiv against Moscow. Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian defense ministry for comment.
These attacks on Moscow follow a series of strikes on Russian infrastructure, including airfields and military depots, since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Kyiv has not officially commented on the recent reports, which come several weeks after Russia accused Ukraine of a drone strike on the Kremlin in early May.
In a separate development, Russia launched a pre-dawn drone air raid that resulted in at least one fatality. The Ukrainian military administration stated that Ukrainian air defense successfully destroyed approximately 20 Shahed UAVs, which were reportedly supplied by Iran, over Kyiv.
