Explosion hits Moscow skyscraper in kamikaze drone attack on Russian capital’s elite financial and government zone
- Ukraine staged new kamikaze drone attack on Moscow’s skyscraper district
- High-rise building was hit by one of three military drones to target city overnight
Ukraine staged a new kamikaze drone attack on Moscow’s skyscraper district in the early hours of this morning, triggering a huge explosion that sent debris crashing to the ground.
Dramatic video shows the moment the blast ripped through the new One Tower, which is under construction in the prestigious business and government zone of Moscow City around three miles from the Kremlin.
The high-rise was hit by one of three military UAVs to target Moscow overnight, with the impact of the explosion sending pieces of concrete and glass flying.
Several windows were broken in two buildings nearby following the drone attack, Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, adding there were no casualties.
It was the sixth consecutive day that drones were aimed at Moscow during the nearly 18 month conflict, now bogged down as Ukraine’s troops fight a grinding counteroffensive.
Dramatic video shows the moment the blast ripped through the new One Tower, which is under construction in the prestigious business and government zone of Moscow City around three miles from the Kremlin
Ukraine staged a new kamikaze drone attack on Moscow’s skyscraper district in the early hours of this morning, triggering a huge explosion that sent debris crashing to the ground. Pictured: Smoke from the blast
A woman inspects the damage sustained to a building of the Moscow International Business Centre following a drone attack in Moscow on Wednesday
Police officers stand guard at the scene of the wreckage of a drone at Moscow City business district after the drone strike on Wednesday
Once again, there was disruption at Moscow’s four main airports as flights were suspended during the drone attacks.
Sobyanin said: ‘Air defences downed a drone in the Mozhaisky district of Moscow region, while another unmanned aerial vehicle hit a building under construction in the City.’
Later Russia claimed there were a total of three drones, two of which were shot down by air defence systems in the Mozhaisk and Khimki areas of the Moscow region with the third allegedly jammed by electronic warfare weaponry before hitting the skyscraper.
Damage was also reported to buildings in Khimki, a suburb close to major international airport Sheremetyevo.
‘City emergency services are inspecting the area within the City perimeter for the effects of the strike,’ said the mayor.
‘Several windows were smashed in two adjacent five-story buildings. There were no casualties.’
The blast in the downtown skyscraper district was close to the iconic 75-floor Mercury City Tower. Emergency services rushed to the scene but there were no reports of casualties.
Law enforcement officers work at the site of a drone attack outside the Moscow International Business Centre following the drone attack on Wednesday
This photograph shows a broken window of a residential building following a drone attack in Moscow on Wednesday
The RIA Novosti news agency reported an ‘explosion’ was heard in the business district.
‘A little later, smoke rose from the buildings in the same area,’ it said.
In recent weeks two other drone attacks were repelled over Moscow’s financial district, each causing minor damage to the facades of high-rise buildings.
The Moscow region, hundreds of kilometres from the front line, has been repeatedly targeted in recent weeks, although there have been no reports of major damage.
There were also reports of explosions in suburb Odintsovo, believed to be caused by Russian air defences targeting incoming kamikaze drones.
Residents earlier heard the sound of a flying drone.
In recent weeks two other drone attacks were repelled over Moscow’s financial district, each causing minor damage to the facades of high-rise buildings.
Ukraine typically does not admit responsibility for the strikes, but they are widely seen as conducted in response to Vladimir Putin’s relentless bombardment of Kyiv and other major cities.
The UK said that it did not encourage or enable Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.
But a US State Department spokesman today said it was up to Ukraine to decide how it chooses to defend itself from the Russian invasion that began in February last year.
Russia could end the war any time by withdrawing from Ukraine, it said.
Drone strikes deep inside Russia have increased since two unmanned aircraft were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May.
The United States, which has supplied Ukraine with massive assistance in the form of weapons and other military equipment to combat the Russian invasion, has consistently said it does not support attacks inside Russia.
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