Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow says it downed 3 drones, suspects it was attack by Kyiv
Russian media reported that they came down close to the village of Lukino, which is administratively part of the city of Moscow. A third drone's wreckage was reportedly discovered 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
Moscow region Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said on Wednesday that two drones were shot down outside of Moscow as they approached the warehouses of a local military unit. This could be the latest attempt by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia during the early stages of Kyiv's most recent counteroffensive.
Russian media reported that they came down close to the village of Lukino, which is administratively part of the city of Moscow. A third drone's wreckage was reportedly discovered 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that it was "an unsuccessful attempt at a terrorist attack" by "the Kyiv regime" on its facilities in the Moscow region. It also said that electronic jamming brought down all three drones.
There was no immediate response from Ukraine, which typically does not confirm attacks on Russian soil, regarding the downed drones. In response to Russia's invasion and war that began in February 2022, Ukrainian officials have previously emphasized the country's right to strike any target.
In December, Moscow claimed that it had destroyed drones that were aiming for military air bases in the western Russian regions of Saratov and Ryazan.
Multiple times, it is said, other drones have flown deep into Russia. Ukrainian drones have repeatedly approached the Russian capital since a UJ-22 crashed in February, 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow.
In what appeared to be one of Kyiv's deepest and most daring strikes into Russia last month, a drone attack jolted the Russian capital, causing only minor damage.
After Russian authorities said that two drones had targeted the Kremlin, it was the second strike on Moscow that month that was reported.
At the time, President Vladimir Putin of Russia stated that Moscow's air defense system "worked in a satisfactory way," but that it was "clear what we need to do to plug the gaps" in the system.
The drone attack on Wednesday was confirmed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who merely stated that "the means of combating drones did their job." Sergei Aksyonov, the Crimean Peninsula's Russian-installed governor, claims that train traffic was disrupted on Wednesday.
Although Aksyonov did not specify the cause of the disruption, some Russian media outlets reported that the rail lines were reportedly destroyed overnight in what appeared to be sabotage.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, a move that most of the world considers illegal. Rail lines that run through Crimea are essential for supplying Russian forces at the front line in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has stated that the country's counteroffensive, which began in recent weeks, aims to reclaim the peninsula.
According to the UK Defense Ministry, Russia has put in "significant effort" to construct "elaborate" defensive lines on the approaches to Crimea in response to Ukraine's military threat using advanced weapons supplied by Western allies.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the ministry stated that maintaining control over Crimea is “a top political priority” for the Kremlin.
It also stated that areas of southern Ukraine where Kyiv's forces are putting Russian defenses to the test are experiencing "intense fighting."
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