Ukraine accused: Russia reports new drone attacks on Moscow

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No confirmation came from Kiev, although Ukrainian media, citing their own sources, attributed the attack to their country’s secret services. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said no one was injured in the two-drone attack. However, material damage occurred in the center of the Russian metropolis.

Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine for 17 months. On Monday evening, Russian forces again attacked Ukraine’s Black Sea region of Odessa with combat drones. Port facilities in Reni on the Danube, which is just a few hundred meters across the river from NATO member Romania, were also damaged, according to regional information. Ukraine continued its series of missile attacks on Russian munitions depots in Moscow-annexed Crimea.

Drones over Moscow

In plain language, the Russian Defense Ministry called the drone attacks on Moscow a terrorist attack. According to the military, the flying objects were brought down with interference radio. Accordingly, a drone was discovered over the center, another in the south of the city. According to an employee of the emergency services, a high office building in the center was hit. The district houses the Ministry of Defense and the headquarters of the GRU military intelligence service.

Still, the Kremlin saw no reason to tighten security measures for Moscow. The security organs were already operating at full capacity, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Drones had already been shot down over Moscow in early July. There were also attacks from the air in May; according to video footage, a drone had exploded directly over the Kremlin.

Attacks on Ukrainian Danube ports

The drone attacks on the previously largely unopposed Ukrainian ports on the Danube mark a further escalation in Russia’s effort to halt Ukrainian grain exports. Reni Mayor Ihor Plehov spoke to Ukrainian media about three destroyed grain silos in his city.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis condemned Russian attacks on his country’s border. “This latest escalation poses a serious security risk in the Black Sea,” he wrote on Twitter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accused Russia of “food terrorism” and called for a global response to the attacks.

Since Russia once again blocked Ukrainian grain exports through Odessa and other Black Sea ports, Ukraine has become even more dependent on the small ports on the Danube. According to the head of the Ukrainian Grain Association, Mykola Horbachev, about two million tons of agricultural products are currently exported every month through Reni and Izmail. Other exports are by rail or road. Despite the attacks, Horbachev hoped for an increase in the number of transports.

African peace plan

Many African countries suffer from the Russian war against Ukraine because they depend on grain and fertilizer from both countries. The blockade imposed by Russia makes a Russian-African summit in St. Petersburg from Thursday particularly explosive. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday that he would propose a peace plan between Russia and Ukraine at the meeting. In June, an African delegation led by Ramaphosa traveled to Moscow and Kiev to mediate, but without any noticeable success.

Russian ammunition dump hit in Crimea

In the north of the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, another Russian ammunition depot was hit on Monday, Moscow-appointed governor Sergei Aksyonov announced on Telegram. Videos with a large cloud of smoke could be seen on social networks. There are many camps and depots in the region to supply the Russian occupiers in southern Ukraine. Last week, two ammunition depots in Crimea were hit by attacks.

In a seven-week counter-offensive in the east and south, Ukrainian forces have recaptured just 227 square kilometers of land, according to military information from Kiev on Monday. About a fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, is still occupied by Russia.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin introduced the higher age limit for reservists set by parliament. Accordingly, the maximum limit for all ranks and categories is generally increased by five years. The increase in the age of reservists was mainly done in view of the war in Ukraine. (SDA)

Source: Blick