The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that this terrorist attack by Kiev against Moscow and Moscow Region has been thwarted, with four enemy drones being destroyed by air defense systems and one enemy UAV being brought down by electronic countermeasures.
No injuries or damage were caused by this attack, the defense ministry added.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has described this incident as yet another Ukrainian drone attack against the Russian capital. According to him, the attack was successfully repelled as all enemy UAVs were eliminated by Russian air defense units.
"Today, another attempt was made by Ukrainian drones to attack New Moscow [a Moscow district] and the Moscow Region. At the moment, the attacks have been repelled by air defense forces, all detected UAVs have been eliminated," Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.
The mayor also said that all flight restrictions previously imposed in Vnukovo Airport have been lifted as of 08:00 a.m. (local time).
Earlier, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency announced that restrictions on arrivals and departures at Vnukovo Airport have been extended until 8 a.m. (5 a.m. GMT), other airports in Moscow and the Moscow Region are operating as usual.
"For technical reasons beyond the airport's control, Vnukovo has introduced restrictions on arrivals/departures of aircraft from 05:10 a.m... The restrictions... have been extended until 08:00 a.m. Other airports in Moscow and the Moscow Region are operating as usual," the agency explained.
Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman for emergency services told Sputnik that "one drone was shot down near Kubinka." Two other drones were shot down in the Russian capital near the village of Valuyevo, with no casualties or damage reported.
Later, emergency services told Sputnik that two more drones were shot down by air defense systems in Moscow, thus bringing the total number of downed drones to five.
"Two more UAVs were shot down by air defense systems in New Moscow [a Moscow district] near the village of Krivosheevo, there were no casualties," the services said.
Screenshot from a social media post allegedly depicting the debris from one of the Ukrainian drones downed near Moscow on July 4, 2023
© Photo / Social media screenshot
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared that this attack against an area containing elements of civilian infrastructure is yet another act of terrorism perpetrated by Kiev.
She pointed out that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky perpetrates such terrorist attacks by using weapons that were either supplied by the West or procured with the funds provided by the West, which makes it international terrorism.
The International community should realize that the United States, Britain and France – all of them permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, are financing a terrorist regime, Zakharova added.
Previous Drone Attacks on Moscow
Early on June 21, three UAV went down on the outskirts of Moscow, thankfully without causing any damage or injury on the ground. The Russian Ministry of Defense described that incident as a terrorist attack perpetrated by Ukrainian forces.
On May 30, three residential buildings in Moscow sustained light damage when another wave of Ukrainian UAVs got intercepted by the air defense units protecting the city.
On May 3, Ukrainian forces attempted to carry out an attack against the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin, using two drones to carry out this deed. The Russian government branded this attack as a terrorist act and an attempt at Vladimir Putin’s life.