Vladimir Putin accusses Ukraine of frightening Russians after drones hit Moscow high-rises

The Russian defence ministry said that eight drones were used in the attack, adding that five of them were downed and three disabled.

Two drones crashed into high-rise residential buildings in Moscow’s affluent southwest, while a third damaged a residential building in a suburb. The other drones fell outside Moscow. Some of the debris was found around 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Putin’s Novo-Ogaryovo residence.

Russian officials said no one was seriously injured in Moscow and there was only minor damage to residential buildings.

Putin said that Moscow’s air defence had worked satisfactorily, referring to the attacks as Kyiv’s “response” to a Russian strike on Ukraine’s army intelligence headquarters.

“The Kyiv regime chose a different path to frighten Russians,” Putin said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Kyiv had “no direct relation” to the attacks.

As Ukrainian drones struck in and around Moscow, Russian drones targeted Kyiv for a third straight day while Ukraine gears up for a major offensive against Russian forces.

The Russian foreign ministry blamed the West, saying its “support for the Kyiv regime is pushing the Ukrainian leadership towards increasingly reckless acts, including terrorism.”

However, the US said it did not support attacks inside Russia.

“We have been focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training they need to retake their own sovereign territory,” a US State Department spokesperson said.

The raids are likely to be seen as a major embarrassment for the Kremlin, which has gone to great lengths to say the protracted conflict in Ukraine does not pose a threat to Russians.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people had sought medical assistance but no one has suffered serious injuries.

(With inputs from agencies)

Updated: 31 May 2023, 01:24 AM IST