Ukraine war: Drone hits office tower in Moscow, shelling kills one in Kherson

Iceland has suspended embassy operations in Moscow from Tuesday (August 1). It is the first such move by a NATO member.

Reports stated that signs were removed from the wall of the former embassy and the flag of Iceland was taken down. 

News agencies have reported that hundreds of lorries wait in a bottleneck to unload grain at small river ports in southern Ukraine. 

This situation occurred after Russia's recent scrapping of a grain shipping deal. 

Previously, Ukraine exported via the Black Sea on large ships but a wartime deal on safe passage broke down after Moscow exited July 17. 

Poland recently claimed that about 100 of the Wagner mercenaries, who are apparently in Belarus, have moved closer to the Polish border. 

But Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko refuted all the claims. According to a statement published by his office, he said, "I suddenly hear the other day that Poland has freaked out that allegedly some unit as large as 100 people is moving here. No PMC Wagner units 100 people strong have moved here. And if they have, they did it only in order to pass on combat experience to the brigades, which are stationed in Brest and Grodno." 

The official statement said that Lukashenko made these remarks during a working visit to Kamenets District, in the southwestern Brest region. 

Ukraine claimed that shelling in a medical facility in Kherson killed a young doctor. A nurse was reportedly injured. 

According to reports, the attack took place at 11:10am (local time). The head of the Kherson City Military Administration Roman Mrochko said on Telegram: "One of the healthcare facilities was hit, killing a young doctor who had been working for only a few days, and wounding a nurse who is now fighting for her life!" 

The Ukrainian Ministry of Health said that the "two floors of the hospital were damaged. The rubble is still being cleared, and the final number of victims is unknown". 

The ministry further noted that "Our condolences to the family and friends of the doctor". 

People in the streets of Moscow said they still felt safe, despite recent drone attacks on the Russian capital. 

As quoted by the news agency Reuters, Igor, a Moscow resident, said: "I feel worried, but I'm not scared. But I am worried. For example, today I've been thinking about buying a protective film for my windows, so that debris doesn't fly into my apartment. (REPORTER: Do you live somewhere nearby?) On Vorobyovy Gory (Sparrow Hills), not far from here. For example, when there was the first drone attack on Moscow, it happened just five bus stops away from me." 

A 67-year-old Alexander Gusev said: "In terms of the building construction, (the drone attack) was like a mosquito bite for a human. Because the building is well constructed, those devices can cause only cosmetic harm, and the structure of a building won't be damaged." 

Moscow's Vnukovo international airport was briefly closed early Tuesday, the TASS state news agency reported.  

"Vnukovo was temporarily closed for arrivals and departures, the planes are redirected to other airports," emergency services said, according to TASS, which later reported it had resumed normal operation. 

Russia said Tuesday (August 1) that it had downed another wave of Ukrainian drones aimed at vessels in the Black Sea and Moscow. Meanwhile, an office block in the capital's main business district was struck for the second time in a few days.

"Two Ukrainian (unmanned aerial vehicles) were destroyed by air defence systems over the territory of the Odintsovo and Narofominsk districts of Moscow region," the Russian defence ministry said.  

"Another drone was suppressed by electronic warfare and, having lost control, crashed on the territory of Moscow City," the capital's main commercial district, the ministry said.