Russia labels drone attacks on Moscow by Ukraine as terrorism

Russia labels drone attacks on Moscow by Ukraine as terrorism amid escalating hostilities between the two countries. Russian officials accused Kyiv of carrying out an “act of terrorism” by launching an attack on Moscow using at least five drones.

The attack resulted in the disruption of air traffic for hours after the drones were intercepted by Russian air defenses.

The Russian defense ministry reported that four of the five drones were successfully shot down, while the fifth was jammed and crashed in the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region. No injuries or damages were reported.

Russian media stated that two drones were intercepted near a village located 30 km (19 miles) southwest of the Kremlin, with another drone detected in the neighboring Kaluga region.

As a result, landings and takeoffs at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport were restricted for several hours before returning to normal operations. Flights from Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt had to be diverted.

According to RIA, one drone was shot down in the vicinity of Kubinka, which is approximately 63 km (40 miles) west of Moscow and is near a Russian air base.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova referred to the attack as “another act of terrorism” by the Kyiv regime, highlighting that the targeted area included civilian infrastructure such as the airport, which also receives foreign flights.

While Moscow has previously faced attacks on its capital and oil infrastructure, this is the first instance of Ukrainian forces using drones to target Moscow since the Russian military operation began in Ukraine in February 2022.

Meanwhile, the number of casualties resulting from a Russian drone attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Monday increased to three, as confirmed by the local mayor. Numerous individuals were also injured in the attack.

The mayor criticized the international community for financing what she called a “terrorist regime,” referring to the permanent members of the UN Security Council, including the United States, Britain, and France.

Following a drone attack on the capital in May, President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of attempting to scare and provoke Russia, announcing plans to strengthen Moscow’s air defenses.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated on his Telegram messaging channel that the attacks had been successfully repelled by the air defense forces, and all detected drones had been eliminated.