A Ukrainian drone struck an upscale residential high-rise in Moscow in the early hours of Monday, marking the third consecutive night the Russian capital has come under aerial attack.
The strike caused visible damage to the façade of an upper floor in a south-western neighbourhood, situated less than 10 kilometres from the Kremlin and Red Square.
While no casualties were reported, unverified footage on social media showed emergency services entering damaged apartments filled with rubble and blown-out windows.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that two additional drones were intercepted during the night. The disruption caused Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports to temporarily suspend operations.
According to the Russian defence ministry, a total of 117 drones were intercepted across several regions between Sunday and Monday.
This included what regional governor Aleksandr Drodzhenko described as a “massive” attack in the St Petersburg region, where 60 drones were targeted.
The escalation comes as the Kremlin prepares for a scaled-back 9 May Victory Day parade. Citing a “terrorist threat” from Ukraine, officials announced that armoured vehicles and missile systems will be excluded from the Red Square event for the first time since 2008.
Additionally, mobile internet services in the capital face restrictions throughout the week for “security reasons”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the heightened security, suggesting the Kremlin is fearful of drones flying over the parade.
He emphasised the need to “keep up the pressure” as Ukraine continues to deploy an arsenal of long-range drones against Russian energy infrastructure and refineries.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy also confirmed separate attacks on two Russian ports, striking three oil tankers from Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a cruise-missile carrier, and a patrol boat.|
The drone campaign follows ongoing Russian aerial assaults on Ukrainian cities. On Monday, Ukrainian authorities reported that a missile strike near Kharkiv, close to the Russian border, killed four people and injured 18 others.
While Moscow is typically protected by the Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile system, successful strikes in such close proximity to the city centre remain relatively rare despite frequent airport closures due to drone alerts.
