Drone attacks hit Moscow, stirring fury at the Kremlin

Al Jazeera ^ | 30 May 2023 | Staff

[Red Badger]

Two are injured in a rare attack on Moscow as more heavy Russian raids target Kyiv, killing at least one person.

A view shows a damaged multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

A multi-storey apartment block damaged during a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, on May 30, 2023 [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters] Published On 30 May 2023 30 May 2023 Correction30 May 2023 An earlier version of this article stated that Moscow is more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from Ukraine. This was incorrect. Moscow is a few hundred kilometres from the Ukraine border. Drones struck Moscow on Tuesday but were neutralised, Russia said, in what one politician called the worst attack on the capital since World War II, while Kyiv was also hit from the air for the third time in 24 hours.

Since Russia invaded its neighbour in February last year, the war has largely been fought inside Ukraine, though Moscow has reported some attacks on its territory and blamed them on Ukraine, including an alleged assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people were injured, but not seriously, while some residents in two lightly damaged apartment blocks were briefly evacuated.

Russia’s defence ministry said eight drones sent by Kyiv were shot down or diverted, though Baza, a Telegram channel with links to the security services, said more than 25 were involved.

Residents in southwestern Moscow said they heard loud bangs followed by the smell of petrol at about 5am to 6am local time [02:00 to 03:00 GMT]. Some filmed a drone being shot down and a plume of smoke rising over the Moscow skyline.

Politician Maxim Ivanov termed it the most serious assault on Moscow since the Nazis, saying no citizen could now avoid “the new reality”.

“You will either defeat the enemy as a single fist with our Motherland, or the indelible shame of cowardice, collaboration and betrayal will engulf your family,” he said.

Two weeks ago, two drones exploded over the Kremlin in an attack Russia also blamed on Kyiv and said was aimed at Putin.

Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak denied Kyiv was directly involved in targeting Moscow on Tuesday, though he said “we are pleased to watch” and forecast more to come.

Russia’s defence ministry cast the assault as a “terrorist drone attack” launched by the “Kyiv regime”.

Investigators gather evidence while working outside a damaged multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Investigators gather evidence while working outside a damaged multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, on May 30, 2023 [Maxim Shemetov/Reuters] In Kyiv, Ukrainian defence forces said they shot down more than 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones on Tuesday.

One person died – reportedly a 30-year-old woman, and four were injured when debris from a destroyed Russian projectile hit a high-rise apartment building causing a fire, Ukrainian officials said. Two upper floors were destroyed with people possibly still under rubble.

Photos from Kyiv officials showed flames engulfing the top of the building.

“The attack was massive, came from different directions, in several waves,” said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

Russia has attacked Kyiv 17 times in May with drones or missiles, mostly at night, in an apparent attempt to undermine Ukrainians’ will to fight after more than 15 months of war.

Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Kyiv, said: “Where I am right now is an apartment block that was hit, the top two floors pretty much nearly destroyed.

“At the foot of this apartment block is a cleanup process. People are inspecting their cars that are damaged, trying to absorb what has happened. They are looking up at the top of the building, the windows are nearly blown up. A lot of [residents] are going to have to leave this building with their suitcases, their pets. Some of them are saying they don’t want to leave, they’re happy they have survived.

“This is the worst nightmare for people here in Kyiv. These attacks have been going on night after night now. This is the third consecutive attack now. People are not sleeping. But every night, when they do go to sleep, they hear those sirens, they hear the explosions and they just don’t know what will happen.”

In Moscow, journalist Yulia Shapovalova, said there was a sense of “calm” in the capital despite the attacks.

“Moscow is buzzing as usual now. People are going to work, public transport is functioning normally, it seems like nothing happened.

“People on the street are very calm, but I should tell you many people in Russia sincerely believe the information they regularly hear on TV, that the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine have been inevitable and that President [Vladimir] Putin, as a great strategist, began it first on foreign soil.”

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

[Seruzawa]

What goes around comes around

[dfwgator]

What goes around comes around

I'll tell you why!

[BobL]

“They enslaved millions in Europe after WWII. They actually enslaved their own people, as well.”

Assuming you’re American, then they didn’t do anything to you. Figured that much. As for me, the Ukrainians got my president impeached and likely helped with getting Trump out of office...but still hard to think of anything Russia has done to me, certainly since 1991.

[elpadre]

Someone wants to start WWIII. I wonder who that might be????

[kaktuskid]

Iran inavded American soil (an embassy), and enslaved US citizens (even today). Plus they supply the Jihadi terrorist groups that make bombs that kill US soldiers.

[Renfrew]

“Just out of curiosity, what have Russians done to you”

Pointed nuclear weapons at me and my family and repeatedly threatened to kill every one I know.

If you had a neighbor who acted like that, what would you do?

[minnesota_bound]

I expect attacks in Britain and other europeon countries by Russian saboteurs.
The British cruise missiles have a long range and will be used by Ukraine to shoot at targets in Russia.

[BobL]

“They don’t know. They still live in the 70s. Russia bad. They aren’t fighting the wef or anything.”

Yep, I wanted to extract that from them. To them, I guess they view the WEF as their buddies, along with Biden, since they both likely enjoy seeing Russians killed.

To me, I view Biden and the Democrats as my TOP POLITICAL ENEMIES, as they are now in the process of ridding the country of beef and gasoline cars, for example. And I don’t see Putin doing that to us, or even doing it to Russians, for that matter.

[fireman15]

Russia is allied with China and Iran — two countries that are at war with the U.S.

Sorry, we are not currently at war with Russia, China, or Iran. If your beloved Biden administration, Lindsey Graham and others had their way... we soon would be, but so far calmer heads have prevailed. Do you also believe that global warming is the greatest threat to our future?

[BobL]

“Pointed nuclear weapons at me and my family and repeatedly threatened to kill every one I know.”

So you think starting a nuclear war with them fixes things? Plenty on your side apparently think so, given what they’ve been saying for the past year.

[EyeInThePyramid]

Iran killed hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Iraq. In addition, Trump also ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani because he was a terrorist:

Trump, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday, said the US killed Soleimani because he was planning a “very major attack” against Americans in the Middle East.

https://nypost.com/2020/01/05/iran-calls-trump-a-terrorist-in-a-suit-for-killing-soleimani/

[PGR88]

I was merely disappointed. Russians are the enemy.

Can't wait until they treat you as the enemy you have declared yourself to be

[EyeInThePyramid]

You are ignorant and uninformed, fireman.

Iran has been at war with the U.S. since 1979. They killed hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Iran!

[dfwgator]

Iran has been at war with the U.S. since 1979. They killed hundreds of U.S. soldiers in Iran!

So who do we go fight over there. Iraq! The one country that kept the Iranians in check.

[BobL]

Decent reasons to be mad at Iran, still not a war, obviously. Sounds like we picked the wrong country to fight then, should have been Iran.

[EyeInThePyramid]

What does global warming have to do with anything? Do YOU also think that members of Congress pledge allegiance to Israel?

[Allegra]

Russia is allied with China and Iran -- two countries that are at war with the U.S.

China and Iran are definitely no friends of our free nation we are fervently hoping to preserve, but we are not currently at war with them.

[BobL]

“Pointed nuclear weapons at me and my family and repeatedly threatened to kill every one I know.”

Oh, and by the way, Russia STOPPED pointing nuclear missiles at the United States in the 1990s, both Bill Clinton and Al Gore said so, and in both cases, no one disputed that.

As to today, they’re probably pointed at us, but then we’re vandalizing their backyard, so it makes sense to me.

[EyeInThePyramid]

Iran has been at war with the U.S. since 1979!

[dominusobiscum]

And they have their nukes pointed at me and my family