On the night of 18 August, an explosion was heard in Moscow which according to Russian officials was caused by Ukraine’s drone attack on a building in Moscow.
The blast was heard across the city and local residents saw smoke coming from the towers of a business district in Moscow.
On the night of 18 August, a drone attacked Moscow, damaging the Expocentre building near the Moscow City business center, reportedly after being downed by Russian air defense, Russian media reported
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) August 18, 2023
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Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defense units shot down the drone with its debris falling on the city’s Expo Center, the large exhibition space used for conferences located less than 5 km from the Kremlin.
According to Russia’s Defence Ministry, after activating the city’s air defense systems, the drone “changed its flight path”, falling on a non-residential building on the Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment.
Later, TASS, the Russian propaganda media outlet reported that one of the outer walls of the center had partially collapsed in the attack that affected an area of 30 sq m.
Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport was closed following the incident.