An apparent drone attack targeting the Russian Defense Ministry headquarters was thwarted Monday morning, Russian officials said, blaming Ukraine for the latest in a series of attempted strikes on the Russian homeland.
Ukrainian authorities did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack, though regional media reports suggested that Kyiv likely was involved. It’s the second time this month that drones have tried to hit targets in Moscow.
Russian officials said that electronic warfare systems jammed the two drones and forced them to crash before they could hit their targets. But the unmanned aircraft seem to have come very close to reaching their destinations, one of which appears to have been Russia’s Ministry of Defense headquarters in the heart of Moscow.
Russian state-controlled media reported that one of the drones fell on the Komsomolsky highway just over 200 yards from the Defense Ministry building. A strike on that facility would have represented a major symbolic blow to the Russian military and might have killed or injured top military officials.
The other drone appears to have struck an office building in southern Moscow, destroying several upper floors of the facility, according to media reports.
Kremlin officials acknowledged that they are ramping up security in and around the capital amid the recent attacks.
“Measures are being taken, a very intense daily 24-hour work is underway,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, referring to efforts to defend Moscow from attack.
Ukraine‘s eastern Donbas region is ground zero in the fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. But Moscow has increasingly felt the ripple effects of war.
Monday’s drone attacks came just weeks after a July 4 assault in which five drones were taken down by Russian air defenses on the outskirts of the city. In early May, two drones were shot down near the Kremlin.
Ukrainian officials have not officially claimed responsibility for any of those assaults.
Last month, it appeared as if Moscow would be the site of a battle between Russian forces and mercenary Wagner Group fighters. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin led a brief mutiny against the Russian Defense Ministry and said he and his troops were headed to Moscow to force changes atop the government.
Russian forces prepared to defend the city, but Mr. Prigozhin ultimately struck a deal that ended the uprising before his men reached Moscow.
War raged elsewhere in the region on Monday. Russian officials accused the Ukrainian side of a drone attack on an ammunition depot in northern Crimea, a portion of Ukraine that Russia has controlled since 2015. Russia also has ramped up its attacks in Odesa, a key Ukrainian hub for grain exports.
Moscow last week pulled out of a key deal that allowed for the export of food from the region. Since then, Russian forces have increased assaults on the area.
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.