A drone hit a building under construction in central Moscow early on Wednesday, the city’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, has said, in what was the sixth straight night of aerial attacks on Russia’s capital region. The drone crashed into a window of the Moscow International Business Centre (Moskva City), a complex of skyscrapers that houses offices, hotels and apartments.
No casualties were reported, but the incident caused panic among the residents and workers in the area. The mayor said the drone was carrying explosives and was intercepted by air defense forces. He urged people to remain calm and follow the instructions of the authorities.
The drone attack was the latest in a series of incidents that have escalated the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, which have been at war since 2023. Russia accuses Ukraine of launching drones and missiles at its territory, while Ukraine denies any involvement and blames Russia for invading and occupying parts of its land. The international community has condemned the violence and called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Ukraine advances in south-eastern village
Meanwhile, Ukraine said its troops had entered the strategically important south-eastern village of Robotyne, a potentially significant advance in its counteroffensive against Russia. Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, said Ukrainian soldiers were organising the evacuation of civilians, but were still coming under fire from Russian forces. She said Robotyne was a key point for controlling the supply routes and communication lines between Russia and its proxies in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian army has been pushing back against the Russian invasion since July, when it launched a major offensive to reclaim its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukraine claims to have liberated several towns and villages from Russian occupation, as well as destroyed hundreds of Russian tanks, artillery pieces and drones. Russia denies having any regular troops in Ukraine, but admits to providing military assistance to the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Russia targets grain facilities on Danube river
In another sign of the worsening situation, Russia said it had attacked several grain facilities on the Danube river, which flows through Ukraine and several other European countries. The Russian defense ministry said it had used cruise missiles and drones to strike at the facilities, which it claimed were used by Ukraine to smuggle weapons and ammunition to its forces. It said the attacks were a response to Ukraine’s attempts to block Russian ships from accessing the Black Sea via the Kerch Strait.
The Danube river is a vital waterway for trade and transport in Europe, connecting 10 countries and four capital cities. It is also a major source of food security, as it carries about 10% of Europe’s grain exports. The river has been affected by the war in Ukraine, as some of its ports and bridges have been damaged or closed by the fighting. The European Union has expressed concern over the impact of the conflict on the river’s ecology and economy.
Russian general dismissed over Ukraine war
A prominent Russian journalist said on Tuesday that Gen Sergei Surovikin, former commander of Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, had been dismissed as head of Russia’s aerospace forces. There was no official confirmation of the report by Alexei Venediktov, the well-connected former head of the now defunct Ekho Moskvy radio station, but it was cited by some other Russian news outlets on social media.
Gen Surovikin was one of the most senior and influential figures in the Russian military, having led several operations in Syria, Libya and Ukraine. He was appointed as commander of Russia’s aerospace forces in 2021, overseeing the country’s air force, air defense and space forces. He was also seen as a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, who awarded him several medals and honors for his service.
Venediktov did not give any reason for Gen Surovikin’s alleged dismissal, but some analysts speculated that it could be related to his performance or conduct in Ukraine. Some suggested that he might have fallen out of favor with Putin or other top officials over his handling of the war or his involvement in corruption or human rights violations.
Casualties mount on both sides
As the war rages on, both sides continue to report casualties and damage from the hostilities. On Tuesday, three people were killed and two were injured as a result of Russian shelling of several villages in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to the prosecutor general’s office. The victims were two women and a man who lived in the village of Torske, which was hit by multiple rockets fired from Russian positions.
On the same day, Russia said it had destroyed two Ukrainian military boats in the Black Sea. The Russian defense ministry said one of its Sukhoi Su-30sm jets destroyed a Ukrainian “reconnaissance boat” near Russian gas production facilities. It later said it also destroyed a US-made speedboat carrying Ukrainian troops east of Snake Island, without providing further detail.
The war in Ukraine has claimed more than 10,000 lives and displaced more than 2 million people since it began in 2023, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. The conflict has also sparked a humanitarian crisis, as millions of people face shortages of food, water, medicine and electricity. The war has also strained the relations between Russia and the West, which have imposed sanctions on each other and accused each other of violating international law and human rights.