Russia accuses Kyiv of ‘terrorist’ drone attack that targeted Moscow-area airport

Russian military claims to down all five drones, says there was no damage or casualties; several flights diverted to other airports

By AFP 4 July 2023, 10:30 am

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Illustrative: In this handout photo released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's Telegram channel on June 21, 2023, an emergency services employee walks near the site where a drone crashed, near Kalininets, outside Moscow, Russia. (Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev telegram channel via AP)

MOSCOW — Russia said on Tuesday it had downed five Ukrainian drones in the Moscow region, calling it a “terrorist act” that disrupted the functioning of the Vnukovo international airport.

“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to attack a zone where civil infrastructure is located, including an airport that receives international flights, is a new terrorist act,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.

The Russian military said it had downed all five drones, and that there was no damage or casualties.

Four drones were destroyed by anti-air defense systems while a fifth was neutralized by “electronic means” before crashing, it said.

Emergency services cited by the RIA Novosti news agency said one of the drones was neutralized at Kubinka, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Vnukovo, whose functioning was briefly interrupted by the attack.

Several flights were redirected to other airports and Russia’s air transport agency said traffic at Vnukovo resumed at 0500 GMT.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that other airports in Moscow and the Moscow region were operating normally.

This morning, a kamikaze drone struck on the territory of one of the military facilities in Kubinka (#Moscow region). The Vnukovo airport in Moscow was also attacked, reports Russian media. pic.twitter.com/3OCHuN6YUR

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— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 4, 2023

State-run agency RIA Novosti also reported that two drones had been downed near the village of Valuevo in New Moscow, citing emergency services. The drones had fallen into an “open field” and no casualties had been reported, it said.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin called it “another Ukrainian drone attack attempt.”

Drone attacks have hit Russian cities throughout Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine, but have intensified in recent months.

Moscow and its environs, lying some 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, have up to now been rarely targeted.

In early May, two drones were shot down above the Kremlin, and later the same month drones hit Moscow high-rises.

Kyiv said early Tuesday that Russia had launched 22 Iranian “Shahed” attack drones at the Sumy, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Its forces had “destroyed” 16 of the drones, it said.