Ukraine drone strikes continue to shake Moscow, central building hit and flights suspended

A series of Ukrainian drone strikes continue to shake Moscow with the latest one being on early Wednesday (August 23) when an under-construction building in the central Russian capital region was hit, media reports said, quotingthecity’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin. “A loud sound was heard at about 3.00 Moscow time, and a little later smoke rose from the buildings in the same area,” Russian news agency, RIA reported. In recent days, Ukraine has ramped up its drone strikes. In a separate incident, the Russian military managed to intercept and take down a second drone in the western part of the Moscow region, Sobyanin reported via his Telegram channel.

Explosions

The latest explosion comes after flight operations were halted at the city's airports. The central district is located just 5 kilometres away from the Kremlin. It is worth noting that on May 3, 2023, two drones claimed to have targeted Kremlin in Moscow. Both of which were allegedly taken down.

The drone strike also damaged the building to some extent. Reports indicated that the building targeted by the drone had its windows blown out due to the force of the explosion. Emergency services were promptly dispatched to assess and manage the situation, the reports further added.

Flight disruptions

In response to the latest drone strike, the airports in Moscow suspended flight operations. This was not the first time that major airports in the region faced disruptions due to drone attacks.

The recent incidents formed part of a series of attacks on the Russian capital, with previous occurrences involving a building hit by a Ukrainian drone in the central district on Saturday (August 19).British military intelligence also claimed to have shot down a supersonic Russian bomber at its Soltsy-2 airbase on the same day.

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Earlier, the images circulating on social media showcased an aircraft resembling the Tu-22M3 engulfed in flames on a runway. These planes had been previously used in campaigns, including actions that resulted in civilian casualties in Ukraine. Moreover, two individuals were injured on Monday (August 21) after parts of a Ukrainian drone which was taken down by Russian air defences dropped on a house in Moscow, media reports said.

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