Zelensky after Moscow drone attack: War coming back to Russia
31-07-2023, 07:31

Font size: [ A+ ] / [ A- ]

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned war is coming back to Russia after a drone attack on the capital Moscow.

Mr Zelensky said attacks on Russian territory were an "inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process" of the war between the two countries.

Russia's defence ministry said three Ukrainian drones were downed on Sunday, with two crashing into offices.

Vnukovo Airport, southwest of the city centre, was also briefly shut.

The drone attack in the early hours of Sunday is the latest that Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

And in a video address on Sunday from the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk, Mr Zelensky said that Ukraine was getting stronger.

"Today is the 522nd day of the so-called 'Special Military Operation', which the Russian leadership thought would last a couple of weeks," he said.

"Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia - to its symbolic centres and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process."

This characterisation is certainly a level up from Kyiv's normal approach of not admitting responsibility for attacks inside Russia.

It may be far from a confession, but President Zelensky clearly feels confident enough to pile on the pressure, and not just on the Kremlin.

Drone attacks like these are also an opportunity for him to address the Russian population, the majority of whom appear to believe Moscow's invasion is just and righteous.

If they connect explosions close to home with what's going on in Ukraine, as per Mr Zelensky's suggestion, it makes it that bit harder for Vladimir Putin to justify his invasion, which he is only looking to expand.

Officials said there were no injuries following the drone attack, and the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the facades of two office buildings were slightly damaged.

Photos from the scene show that several windows have been damaged at the corner of the buildings, with debris scattered on the ground below.

One eyewitness, who only gave her first name as Liya, told Reuters news agency she could see fire and smoke.

"We heard an explosion and it was like a wave, everyone jumped," she said.

"Then there was a lot of smoke and you couldn't see anything. From above, you could see fire."

Flights were briefly suspended from Vnukovo Airport, southwest of the city centre, and incoming planes were redirected to other airports.

In a statement, the defence ministry said the "attempted terrorist attack" had been "thwarted".

Moscow, located about 500km (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, has rarely been targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

But Russia has accused Ukraine of launching a series of drone strikes on its territory in recent months, including several on the capital.

The most notable was in May, when Russia claimed Ukraine used two drones to attack the Kremlin - the heart of the city. Ukraine denied attacking the Kremlin or targeting President Vladimir Putin.

Russia's defence ministry says Ukraine also carried out an overnight drone attack on Crimea - territory which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Officials say 16 drones were destroyed and a further nine were suppressed, Tass news agency reports.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile attack on the city of Sumy, in the north east of the country, has left one person dead and five injured.

A building was destroyed in an explosion at about 20:00 local time (17:00 GMT), according to public broadcaster Suspilne.

Officials also say two people were killed in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Saturday.

 

BBC

Comments: 3315
#3295   Rodger
      
References:


Penny slot machines https://liveheadline.space/
10 June 2026 16:22
#3294   Soila
      
References:


Hollywood casino tunica https://headlinebeacon.space/
10 June 2026 13:07
#3293   Bailey
      
References:


Casino coushatta https://headlinebeacon.space

References:


Celine dion in las vegas flashjournal.space
10 June 2026 11:32
#3292   Norman
      
10 June 2026 07:52
#3291   Dianna
      
References:


Online casino slot machines bookmarkpress.space
10 June 2026 01:19
#3290   Denice
      
References:


Eagle mountain casino https://briefjournal.site/
10 June 2026 00:16
#3289   Theron
      
References:


Paradice casino https://liveheadline.space/item/ber-uns
9 June 2026 22:01
#3288   Natisha
      
References:


Casino arizona poker flashjournal.space
9 June 2026 21:00
#3287   Alphonse
      
References:


Uk casino club www.investagrams.com
9 June 2026 20:41
#3286   Emely
      
References:


Singapore casino https://hackmd.okfn.de/
9 June 2026 19:04
#3285   Jeramy
      
References:


Casino gta v bookmarkdaily.space
9 June 2026 17:28
#3284   Bridgett
      
References:


Kansas casinos bookmarkdaily.space
9 June 2026 17:22
#3283   Twila
      
References:


Blackjack promotions login http://www.bmw-workshop.com/member.php?action=profile&uid=44319
9 June 2026 16:14
#3282   Cathryn
      
References:


Microgaming no deposit bonus https://commonwiki.space/wiki/1200_Bonus_220_Freispiele
9 June 2026 15:25
#3281   Vicky
      
References:


Casino action https://headlinebeacon.site
9 June 2026 15:01
#3280   Roman
      
References:


Choctaw pines casino flashjournal.site
9 June 2026 13:44
#3279   Deanna
      
9 June 2026 12:28
#3278   Ollie
      
References:


Slot machine games https://briefjournal.site/
9 June 2026 11:54
#3277   Andrea
      
References:


Monte casino bird park https://bookmarkdaily.space/
9 June 2026 10:03
#3276   Tobias
      
References:


Online casinos south africa annunciogratis.net
9 June 2026 09:59
Add Comments

Name:*
E-Mail:
  Geo Keyboard  
 

Dear reader, guardian.ge welcomes your comments. Please express your views on topic and be respectful of others.

bold italic underline strike | align left centered align right | Ensert smilies insert linkInsert protected URL Choice the color | hidden text insert quote Convert selected text from transliteration to Cyrillic alphabet Insert spoiler

Code: *


Back1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 166Next