Russian authorities have accused Ukraine of orchestrating a drone assault on a building in Moscow, leading to an explosion that reverberated through the city’s financial district. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that the drone was intercepted by air defenses, resulting in its wreckage falling near the Expo Center in the city. This incident is the most recent in a series of similar attacks on the Russian capital.

Videos circulating on social media, though unverified, seemed to depict thick gray smoke ascending into the nighttime sky over Moscow. As of now, there has been no official response from Ukraine; Kyiv officials have never publicly acknowledged responsibility for launching strikes on Moscow.

The event transpired at approximately 4:00 AM local time, according to Russia’s defense ministry, which posted details on Telegram. After triggering the city’s air defense systems, the drone altered its flight trajectory, ultimately crashing into a non-residential structure on the Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment—a locality that houses several government edifices. The defense ministry indicated that there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Expo Center, located less than 5 kilometers (approximately 3.1 miles) from the Kremlin, is a sizable exhibition venue utilized for conferences and conventions. A witness present in the vicinity informed Reuters that the attack had resulted in a “powerful explosion.” Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport briefly closed following the incident but was soon reopened.

While Moscow had remained untouched by the conflict in Ukraine until earlier this year, the city has lately become a target of drone strikes. On May 30th, several structures were reportedly harmed in a series of attacks. Additionally, on July 30th and 31st, two separate drones collided with the glass exterior of a skyscraper located only a few hundred meters away from the Expo Center.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the situation, asserting that the conflict was extending into Russian territory. He labeled this as an “inevitable, natural, and completely justifiable process.”

Preceding the latest strike in Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry reported that a Ukrainian maritime drone was destroyed in an attempted assault on Russia’s naval fleet in the Black Sea.

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