Drone Attack Hits Building In Central Moscow, Russia Says

Russian Officials have accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on a building in Moscow, causing an explosion that was heard across the city’s business district.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defences had shot down the drone with its debris falling on the city’s Expo Center.

It marks the latest in a series of such attacks on the Russian capital.

Unverified footage on social media appeared to show thick grey smoke rising into the night sky over Moscow.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, but Officials in Kyiv have never formally acknowledged launching attacks on targets in Moscow.

The attack occurred at around 04:00 local time (01:00 GMT), Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Telegram.

It said that, after activating the city’s air defence systems, the drone had “changed its flight path”, falling on a non-residential building on the Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment, an area of Moscow which hosts a number of Government buildings.

It added that there were no initial reports of casualties.

The Expo Center is a large exhibition space used for conferences and conventions and is situated less than 5km (3.1 miles) from the Kremlin.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the debris had not caused a fire, while Mr Sobyanin said the drone had caused “no significant damage” to the building.

Until earlier this year, Moscow remained untouched by the war in Ukraine, but in recent months has been targeted by drone strikes.

BBC