A drone attack hit residential buildings in the Russian capital of Moscow Tuesday morning for the first time in the country’s war against Ukraine. The attack came just after Russia launched a surprise daytime missile attack in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv Monday.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a Telegram post that the drones caused “insignificant damage” to several buildings and that two people were injured but did not need to be hospitalized. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that it had shot down five drones and three others were diverted off course. It’s not clear what their target was, and the Ukrainian government has denied any involvement, even as officials celebrated the attack.
Though life has largely continued as normal in Moscow throughout the war, the drone attack might prove an unsettling reminder to Russian civilians that they are not insulated from the conflict. This follows an attempted drone attack on the Kremlin earlier this month, which US officials believe was ordered by Ukraine. Assuming Ukraine is behind this more recent attack, its intent could be more meant to sway public opinion ahead of Kyiv’s long-expected counteroffensive than to gain any military advantage, since the drones were too small to cause real damage.
“It’s largely symbolism and making the Russian public feel like they can’t just sit back and ignore what’s going on in their daily life, probably with the hope that it will degrade support for the war or at least make people less apathetic to what’s happening,” said Ian Williams, a fellow in the international security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and deputy director of its Missile Defense Project.
But it’s not clear whether that will sour Russians on the war effort — or cause them to rally behind their leaders in the face of a threat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the attack an attempt to “frighten Russians” on state TV. Russia’s…
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