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Ukraine launched a drone attack on Moscow overnight on Monday striking a residential building in the Russian capital, Russian Telegram channels reported.
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Russian officials did not comment much on the incident, except for the mayor of Moscow.
In a post on a Kremlin-controlled social media platform, Sergey Sobyanin confirmed the attack, claiming that no casualties had been sustained. He also said the air defence intercepted the drone “launched at Moscow.”
Videos posted on social media show a drone flying at a low altitude towards Moscow just after midnight. Residents said they heard loud explosions in the capital soon after.
According to photos circulating on social media, damage is visible on the upper floors of a high-rise apartment building in the city, reportedly the Mosfilm Tower, a high-end building located west of the city’s centre.
There are also photos showing drone debris scattered across the street below as emergency crews work on the scene.
The attack reportedly took place approximately seven kilometres west of the Kremlin and the city’s central Red Square and three kilometres from the Russian Defence Ministry building.
Unprecedented security measures
Not only does the attack mark one of the deepest strikes into central Moscow, but it also comes just days before the Victory Day parade on 9 May.
Russian officials have significantly tightened the security measures in Moscow in the run-up to the parade.
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, preparations for the parade are taking place “in a mode more similar to a military lockdown than a celebration,” with communication blackouts across Moscow this week.
Russian telegram channels say hundreds of air defence systems have been transferred to the Russian capital.
On top of the tightened security, the Kremlin also proposed a Victory Day parade ceasefire. The Moscow proposal was communicated only to the US administration, as Russian officials are still refusing any contact with Kyiv.
Russia previously announced a short ceasefire for Easter earlier in April. For Russian authorities, Victory Day has the same symbolic meaning.
More than a victory fete, 9 May for Russia under Putin has become one of the most important holidays and a public demonstration of the Kremlin’s military power.
This year, the show will be significantly scaled back, according to Moscow.
The Victory Day parade would not feature military vehicles or cadets due to what the Kremlin described as “current operational situation”.
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