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: 534
#514   Giuseppe
      
27 November 2024 21:09
#513   Marylin
      
Here is my web-site Poker Stakes
27 November 2024 19:22
#512   Siobhan
      
Feel free to visit my homepage ... play
Poker online
27 November 2024 19:14
#511   Guadalupe
      
my web-site; Daycares popular listings - cordellsonline.com -
27 November 2024 04:53
#510   Lauren
      
Check out my website :: Daycares By Category
26 November 2024 23:43
#509   Regena
      
Stop by my site: Daycares
popular listings
26 November 2024 18:23
#508   Kevin
      
My blog - Free poker
26 November 2024 17:48
#507   Kian
      
26 November 2024 12:34
#506   Dann
      
My website :: Online poker sites
26 November 2024 12:18
#505   Garnet
      
Review my page; Live Poker
26 November 2024 07:07
#504   Ross
      
Feel free to visit my page - Jorge
25 November 2024 13:08
#503   Marina
      
25 November 2024 05:35
#502   Ute
      
24 November 2024 00:07
#501   Normand
      
Feel free to visit my webpage highstakespoker

Feel free to surf to my web page ... highstakes 777 Online Login
23 November 2024 11:00
#500   Elise
      
Here is my web site :: online dating sites in hyderabad
22 November 2024 22:00
#498   Eva
      
Feel free to visit my website Site Poker
21 November 2024 19:07
#497   Bennett
      
Also visit my web site: Explore Daycares Locations
21 November 2024 18:09
#496   Martin
      
21 November 2024 02:55
#495   Bernardo
      
21 November 2024 02:13
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 ... 27Next