Ukraine has launched what is believed to be the largest drone attack on Moscow since Vladimir Putin’s invasion began in February 2022.
Russian officials said they shot down 11 drones flying toward Moscow and were forced to repel another 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.
This comes after Putin’s forces shelled a children’s hospital in the war-torn Zaporizhzhia region, leaving at least one child dead and four other youngsters injured.
Video footage showed Russian air defence systems working overtime overnight, with anti-aircraft systems abruptly blowing up drones in western Russia, leaving them as little more than fireballs and debris.
Many of the Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, which lies 24 miles south of the capital.
Video footage showed Russian air defense systems working overtime overnight.
Vladimir Putin (pictured) has made progress in Ukraine’s industrial region of Donbas
Putin’s forces attacked a children’s cafe in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region
Putin was seen visiting Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov (pictured) last night
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said of the attack: “This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever undertaken.”
However, the mayor said there were no reports of injuries, casualties or damage following the attack.
The governor of the Bryansk region said there were no casualties or damage in his region either.
Ukraine has yet to comment on the latest drone attack on Russia, though it said its forces targeted a missile complex in Novoshakhtinsk, near Rostov.
“It should be noted that Russian invaders also use S-300 complexes to attack peaceful Ukrainian cities, destroying residential buildings and terrorizing the civilian population,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
This comes after Café Lavender, a children’s café in the Zaporizhia region, was hit by a Russian missile.
Harrowing police footage showed children receiving aid following the attack on civilians.
A 15-year-old boy was tragically killed in the attack. The other people injured in the bombing were aged 11, 14, 17 and 18, police said.
A teenage girl is reported to be in critical condition.
The destroyed cafe was in the village of Malokaterynivka, about 30 miles from the front line, and was known to be popular with local children.
The head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, said there was a direct attack on the cafe.
“These are the consequences of the Russian attack on Malokaterynivka,” he said.
Many of the Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, which lies 24 miles south of the capital.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said of the attack: “This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever undertaken.”
The Lavender Café children’s café in the Zaporizhia region was hit by a Russian missile
A 15-year-old boy was tragically killed in the attack. The others injured in the bombing were aged 11, 14, 17 and 18.
“The terrorist state (Russia) mutilates civilians and does not stop even with children. We must stop it.”
The bitter war between Russia and Ukraine has escalated in recent weeks, with Ukraine boldly sending its forces into Russian territory, the largest foreign attack on Putin’s nation since World War II.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in its daily report late Tuesday that the Ukrainians have made additional progress in their incursion, now in its third week.
He said Ukrainian forces appear to be attacking Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon engineering equipment over the Seym River in an area west of Kurst province.
The bold incursion into Russia has boosted morale in Ukraine and changed the dynamics of the fighting.
Meanwhile, Russia has made advances in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the industrial region of Donbas.
Putin was seen last night with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, considered by many to be one of his closest allies, in Chechnya, where the two were inspecting troops preparing to fight Ukraine.
Putin was seen last night with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, considered by many to be one of his closest allies, in Chechnya.
Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim republic that is still part of Russia.
Kadyrov told Putin on Tuesday that Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim republic that is part of Russia, had sent more than 47,000 troops since the start of the war to fight Ukraine.
The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to keep the North Caucasus stable after years of turmoil.
“As long as we have men like you, we will be absolutely, absolutely invincible,” Putin told troops at Russia’s Special Forces University, a training school in Gudermes, Chechnya, according to a transcript on the Kremlin’s website.
“It’s one thing to shoot at a shooting range, and quite another to endanger your life and health. But you have an inner need to defend your country and the courage to make such a decision.”
Kadyrov told Putin on Tuesday that Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim republic that is part of Russia, had sent more than 47,000 troops since the start of the war to fight Ukraine, including some 19,000 volunteers.
He has described himself as Putin’s “foot soldier” several times in the past.
The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to maintain stability in the North Caucasus after years of turmoil.
International rights groups have accused Kadyrov’s security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and kidnappings of dissidents, but Russian authorities have blocked their repeated demands for investigations.
The Kremlin sent fighters from Chechnya to help protect Moscow from a failed mutiny launched by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin last year, but some commentators warned that Kadyrov’s ambitions could also pose a potential threat to federal authorities.