Kremlin Repels Drone Attack on Moscow

Facts

• Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Russian capital of Moscow on Tuesday, temporarily forcing the closure of an international airport in the city's southwest.¹
• Russia's defense ministry said all five drones deployed by Ukraine were downed — stating that four were shot down by missile defenses while the last was forced down using electronic warfare capabilities.²
• Emergency service crews told Russian media that debris from one drone fell in the territory of a military facility in Kubinka, without causing damage, while debris from another struck an outbuilding in a village in the New Moscow region, sparking a fire that has since been extinguished. There are no reports of casualties at this stage.¹
• Meanwhile, flight restrictions were imposed on Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport at 5:10 [a.m.] local time, but it had resumed operations by 8:00 [a.m.], local officials said. According to a source in Russian media, 14 flights were diverted away from the airport at this time.³
• Commenting on the attack, Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman, described it as an act of terrorism. She said: "An attempt by the Kyiv regime to attack an area where civilian infrastructure facilities are located, including an airport which, by the way, also receives foreign flights is yet another terrorist attack. The global community should realize that the US, the UK, and France — permanent members of the UN Security Council — are financing a terrorist regime."⁴
• Ukrainian officials, who typically do not comment on attacks inside Russia, did not claim responsibility for the drone attack. Meanwhile, in the past day, Russia also continued its missile and drone attacks on Ukraine —on Monday, three civilians were killed and 21 were injured following a drone attack in the Sumy region. Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy said the attack also damaged the regional headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s main intelligence agency.²

Sources: ¹TASS (a), ²Associated Press, ³TASS (b), and ⁴TASS (c).

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. This attack from Ukraine, targeting civilian infrastructure that includes an international airport, is the latest demonstration of Kyiv's use of terrorism. Western states are continuing to aid and abet this terrorist regime.
• Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Russia's war on Ukraine's civilians continued this week with the drone attack in Sumy which claimed the lives of three people and injured 21 more. Ukraine must fight Russia to rid the world of this evil.

Predictions