Explained: How Moscow drone strikes bring the war home to the rich

It’s Day 462 of the Russia-Ukraine war. The two sides have been bitterly fighting one another, with no end in sight. For the Ukrainians, the war means explosions ringing out in the city, drones being heard overhead, air defences springing into action and residents hunkering in their houses praying they are not the ones to be struck. This was the situation, until Tuesday. This time building being struck and explosions being heard came from the Russian capital of Moscow – as they say, the war has come home to Russia. On Tuesday morning, Russian authorities reported several drone attacks on the capital Moscow, damaging several residential buildings. Russia’s defence ministry called the incident a “terrorist attack”, saying eight drones had been spotted over the capital. However, independent media stated that the number of drones was much higher. The attack also prompted a reaction from Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. Speaking on Russian TV, the ‘macho leader’ said the attack had been a response to what he described as a Russian attack on Ukraine’s military intelligence HQ in recent days. “In response to this, the Kyiv regime chose a different path – the path of attempts to intimidate Russia, to intimidate Russia’s citizens, and of air strikes against residential buildings. This is obviously a sign of terrorist activity. They are provoking us into responding in kind.”

We take a closer look at the attacks – from where to whom and what may be the fallout of such activity in the ongoing war. What happened on Tuesday? As per Russian authorities, eight drones entered Moscow’s airspace, hitting a few buildings before being shot down by the city’s air defences. Moscow said five of the drones were shot down and three were stopped with signal jamming technology – causing them to lose control and miss their targets. However, the drones caused some damage – hitting a residential building, a high-rise apartment block, and another high-rise building. None of the impacts caused significant damage or casualties. The drone strikes occurred in Rublyovka, a prestigious suburban area in Moscow’s southwest where oligarchs, politicians and top officials live in luxurious gated communities. The area is also very close to Putin’s Novo-Ogaryovo residence where the Russian leader is known to spend most of his time. It’s important to note here that these strikes are different from any other that Russia has seen. This is because it struck what is known as Russia’s Beverly Hills. It has been rare for Moscow to be targeted by drones and especially where the rich and famous live. Rublyovka is reportedly the home to former president Dmitry Medvedev and the current prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin. [caption id=“attachment_12669532” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Investigators inspect the building after a reported Ukrainian drone damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia. AP[/caption] Prior to this, two drones exploded over the Kremlin in early May in what Russian officials claimed was an “assassination” attempt on the life of Russian president Vladimir Putin. As residents of Rublyovka will vouch, this attack was unprecedented. “It was like boom, boom, boom, in pretty quick succession. One of the blasts shook our house; it wasn’t something we have experienced before,” Andrei, a businessman residing in Barvikha village in the heart of Rublyovka, was quoted as telling The Guardian. **Also read: How the US and its allies are ‘helping’ Russia in the Ukraine war through Iran’s drones** What drones were used? While there’s no verified information about the drones used in the strikes, some reports claim that at least one of the drones was a UJ-22 produced by the Ukrainian Ukrjet company. [caption id=“attachment_12669452” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj[/caption] But images from videos of the incident don’t show the UJ-22; the drone pictured has a short set of wings at the front and larger ones to the rear. What was the reaction to the drone attack? Even as people in Moscow hunkered down during the strikes, it has prompted a barrage of reactions from Russian politicians and leaders. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drones had “caused minor damage to several buildings.” In a series of posts on the Telegram messaging app, he said that two people “sought medical attention” and that there were no serious injuries. Head of the Russian private military company Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin , however, viewed the attack with much anger. On his Telegram channel, he fumed at Russian officials, with whom he has had frequent public disagreements, saying: “Stinking beasts, what are you doing?” “You are the Department of Defence. You didn’t do a damn thing to step up. Why the f*** are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow? The fact that they are flying to your homes in Rublyovka … to hell with it! Let your houses burn. What will ordinary people do when explosive drones crash through their windows?” he wrote further. [caption id=“attachment_12669542” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Police guard an area as investigators collect parts of a Ukrainian drone which reportedly damaged an apartment building in Moscow, Russia. AP[/caption] Another Russian politician, Maxim Ivanov, claimed the Moscow drone strikes were the most serious assault on the capital since the Nazis, saying no citizen could now avoid “the new reality”. “You will either defeat the enemy as a single fist with our Motherland, or the indelible shame of cowardice, collaboration and betrayal will engulf your family,” he said. Lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein said that “a new reality … needs to be realised.” “Undoubtedly, the sabotage and terrorist attacks of Ukraine will only increase,” he wrote on Telegram, “and it is necessary to radically strengthen defence and security measures, especially in terms of countering drones.” While Putin called it an attempt to frighten Russians, the foreign ministry said Western support for Kyiv was “pushing the Ukrainian leadership towards ever more reckless criminal deeds including acts of terrorism”. Ukraine’s western allies also reacted to the attack. A spokesperson for President Joe Biden’s National Security Council said: “As a general matter, we do not support attacks inside of Russia. We have been focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training they need to retake their own sovereign territory, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.” **Also read: Stryker combat vehicles, Patriot missiles, Challenger 2 tanks and more: A breakdown of military aid promised to Ukraine** The spokesperson noted that Tuesday was the 17th time this month that the Ukrainian capital had been hit by another Russian attack. UK foreign secretary James Cleverly said Ukraine “has a right” to project force “beyond its own borders”. Cleverly’s comments came after he gave a speech in Estonia and he later clarified that his comments were “general points, rather than on that specific incident.” But was Ukraine behind the attack? Ukraine has refuted all Russian claims that the attacks came from Kyiv. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that Kyiv was not directly involved, but that Ukraine had enjoyed watching events unfold and predicted an increase in such incidents. “What is growing in Russia is the karmic payment that Russia will gradually pay in aggravated form for everything it does in Ukraine,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_12669552” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Investigators gather evidence while working outside a damaged multi-storey apartment block following a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia. Reuters[/caption] It is far from clear who is behind the attacks, but Dominic Waghorn writing for Sky News said that it was perfectly plausible that Russia had attacked its own capital. He explained that such an act would help alienate Western support for Kyiv. It would also help scare its own population, galvanising support against the enemy. What does this mean for the war? The drone attack in Moscow is a symbolic attack and undoubtedly an embarrassment to the Russian military. Following the attack, Putin said he intended to strengthen Moscow’s air defence systems in anticipation of further attacks. The attack is also being used to rally behind legislation giving the country’s military and security agencies more powers, including to counter drone attacks. Experts cite that this will also give rise to more attacks on both sides in the future. It also fuels anxiety about when Ukraine would launch its much-spoken about counter-offensive. As Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, based in Moscow, noted that Tuesday’s drone attack could have a tangible impact on Russia’s attitudes towards the fighting in Ukraine. “If the drone attack turns out to be not just an isolated incident, it will serve as a reminder that the hostilities are already in the capital and that Putin is not all-powerful,” he said to The Guardian, “This may sway public opinion somewhat in favour of starting peace negotiations.” With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.