Ukraine war: Central Moscow building hit by drone in latest attack on Russian capital

Two more drones are reportedly downed in Moscow region as city’s airports temporarily suspend flights

A woman inspects the damage sustained to a building of the Moscow International Business Center (Moskva City) following a drone attack in the city on August 23rd, 2023. Photograph: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images
A woman inspects the damage sustained to a building of the Moscow International Business Center (Moskva City) following a drone attack in the city on August 23rd, 2023. Photograph: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images

A drone hit a building under construction in central Moscow early on Wednesday, the city’s mayor has said, in what AFP reported was the sixth straight night of aerial attacks on Russia’s capital region.

The Russian military downed two more drones over the western part of the Moscow region, Sergei Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel.

Moscow airports suspended flights early on Wednesday, Russia’s Tass news agency reported. The airports are now operating normally after a temporary flight suspension, Russia’s state aviation authority said.

Major airports around the Russian capital have repeatedly closed for departing and arriving flights in recent days due to Ukrainian drone activity.

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The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Tuesday that three civilians were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on a sanatorium in the village of Lavy, close to the Ukrainian border. These claims have not yet been independently verified.

Ukraine appears to have stepped up such raids since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Such attacks have briefly disrupted flights and caused mostly minor damage to buildings.

The United States does not encourage or enable attacks inside Russia, a US State Department spokesperson said after the latest attacks on Moscow.

It is up to Ukraine to decide how it chooses to defend itself, the State Department spokesperson said, adding Russia could end the war any time by withdrawing from Ukraine.

A fireman stands near a damaged building of the Moscow International Business Center (Moskva City) following a drone attack in Moscow on August 23rd, 2023. Photograph: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images
A fireman stands near a damaged building of the Moscow International Business Center (Moskva City) following a drone attack in Moscow on August 23rd, 2023. Photograph: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images

Russia overnight attacked with drones the south of Ukraine’s southern Odesa and the Danube River regions, a key area for grain exports, causing fires in grain facilities, Ukrainian military and local authorities said on Wednesday.

“The enemy hit grain storage facilities and a production and transshipment complex in Danube region. A fire broke out in the warehouses and was quickly contained. Firefighters continue to work,” the military said on the Telegram messaging app.

Ukrainian air defences shot down 11 out of 20 drones launched by Russia in overnight attacks, the air force said on Wednesday. – Agencies