Moscow skyscraper up in flames as Russian claims Ukrainian attack missed target

24 July 2023 , 08:04

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The early morning drone attack struck a skyscraper in the Russian capital (Image: social media/e2w)

What's believed to have been a Ukrainian drone attack has struck at the heart of Russia, setting a skyscraper in the capital ablaze.

The top of a high-rise building was left burning in Moscow after drone attacks likely intended to hit Russian Defence Ministry facilities.

The drones were downed by electronic warfare jamming, according to Russian sources. One caused severe damage to a business centre tower block on Likhacheva Prospekt.

A drone apparently fell close to a military university which acts as the headquarters of GRU military intelligence’s “cyber offensive”, according to Russian expert Hristo Grozev. There was no immediate confirmation of this.

The attack comes after Russian missiles badly damaged a historic Orthodox cathedral in Odessa, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to vow retaliation.

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The drone is seen flying close to the skyscraper this morning (social media/e2w)

Russian sources said they managed to down the UAV with jamming technology (social media/e2w)

Key roads in Moscow were closed to traffic in the aftermath of the alleged Ukrainian strikes, including both Komsomolsky Prospekt and Likhacheva Prospekt.

Fragments of a drone were found one mile from the Defence Ministry, said one report. Windows of shops and apartment buildings were also smashed on Komsomolsky Prospekt.

"At 17, Komsomolsky Prospekt, the debris of a drone was discovered. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties,” an emergencies official told TASS.

"On the morning of July 24, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to launch a terrorist attack using two unmanned aerial vehicles against facilities on the territory of the city of Moscow was thwarted," the ministry said on Telegram.

One of the buildings damaged in the strike (social media/e2w)

"Two Ukrainian UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] were suppressed by electronic warfare means and crashed," the ministry add

The Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said: "Drone attacks on two non-residential buildings were registered at about 4:00 a.m. today, causing no major damage or casualties. All emergency services are working at the scene.”

A drone was seen buzzing Moscow in the early morning light.

One Moscow video recorded a voice saying: “Something exploded next to our place."

“Our windows nearly flew out. We better check the news. It was a very strong explosion.”

Two drone strikes which hit the Kremlin in May were also blamed on Ukraine by the Russians. This was portrayed as a bid to “assassinate Putin”.

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In late May, a drone strike came close to Putin’s palatial official residence Novo-Ogaryovo, near Moscow. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on today’s strikes in Moscow.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has been saying in recent months that destroying Russia's military infrastructure helps Kyiv's counteroffensive.

Will Stewart