Russia: Ukraine drones targeting Moscow kill two, injure others

An overnight drone attack from July 10th to 11th by Ukraine killed two people in Russia while targeting sites in Moscow, Russian authorities claim, according to Reuters. The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on the messaging app Telegram that its air defences shot down 155 Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow between 11:00 p.m. on July 10th and 7:00 a.m. on July 11th, local time.

Meanwhile, three airports that serve the Russian capital had temporarily ceased operations but have since resumed, as reported by Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation authority. A drone crashed onto the land of an agricultural business in the Lipetsk Oblast, sparking a short-lived fire that killed one person and injured another, according to a Telegram post by the oblast’s governor, Igor Artamonov.

The Russian Ministry of Defence stated that its air defence system destroyed four drones in Lipetsk, with most drones destroyed over several oblasts bordering Ukraine. As per usual, the ministry did not disclose any information on the number of drones that were launched by Ukraine.

One person was killed and another injured in the recent drone attack within the central Russian Tula Oblast, as reported by its governor, Dmitry Milayev, on Telegram.

Drone debris also landed on the aircraft manufacturer Breiev in the city of Taganrog in southwestern Russia, just around 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) from the pre-war border with Ukraine. The mayor of the city, Svetlana Kambulova, stated this on Telegram but did not say whether there was any damage as a result, but added there were no injuries.

Drone-based aerial combat has become regular in this conflict between the two sides. Ukraine has struck Russia with a series of record-breaking and extensive drone operations throughout this year. Kyiv claims that its attacks are directed at military infrastructure and in response to continued Russian strikes on Ukraine.

Russia has escalated its attacks in recent weeks, launching a record number of drones aimed at Kyiv and other cities throughout Ukraine, resulting in numerous civilian fatalities, Ukrainian officials said. A May 26th attack by Russia that killed at least 4 people was the largest in terms of total weapons fired since the war started in 2022.

Reuters notes that “thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.”

There continues to be no headway made towards Moscow accepting an unconditional ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and its European allies.

Reuters, Maghrebi.org.