Moscow building damaged in drone attack, Mayor says
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being update.
A building was reportedly damaged on the outskirts of Moscow following a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian capital overnight on May 29, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported.
Videos and photos posted on social media by residents purportedly show damage sustained by a residential building on Vernadsky Avenue in Southwest Moscow. Explosions were heard in the area around 1:40 a.m. local time.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed that no one was injured in the attack that occurred as a result of falling drone debris. Sobyanin added that crew are currently on-scene inspecting the damage.
The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear. Ukraine's military has not commented on the reported attack.
The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify reports or claims made by Russian officials.
As Russia continues to reject calls for a ceasefire and the war drags on, Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russian territory. In particular, drone attacks in Russia have forced airport closures for several nights in a row.
Operations at Vnukovo airport were temporarily halted amid the overnight drone attack.
Ukraine's recent drone strategy has been aimed at disrupting airport operations, overwhelming air defenses, and making the war more visible to ordinary Russians.
The previous night on May 28, Russian air defenses shot down 296 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions overnight, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed, potentially marking one of the heaviest drone attacks against Russia during the full-scale war.
Read also: Electronics plant in St. Petersburg on fire following explosions, local officials reportWe've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
14 minutes ago
- Politico
Ukrainian delegation to brief senators amid Russia sanctions push
A Ukrainian delegation is set to brief U.S. senators Wednesday as lawmakers weigh a sweeping sanctions bill targeting Russia and its biggest energy customers, China and India. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who told POLITICO he organized the meeting with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said all 100 senators were invited to attend the closed-door session. 'It's a pivotal moment in Ukraine — and crunch time for the Senate on this bill,' said Blumenthal, noting that the legislation now has 82 co-sponsors, evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. The visiting delegation, he told POLITICO, includes Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine's deputy defense minister, Serhii Boyev, is traveling with Yermack. The sanctions package from Blumenthal and Graham is designed to increase pressure on Russia's wartime economy by targeting countries that buy oil and gas — a move Blumenthal said could be a 'game changer.' He also pointed to recent long-range drone attacks deep inside Russia — dubbed 'Operation Spiderweb' — as evidence of Ukraine's agility and resolve. Those strikes, he said, counter 'a false narrative that Ukraine is losing the war,' and could shift momentum in Washington in favor of increasing aid for Ukraine.'They can strike air bases 4,000 miles from Ukraine; They can hit anywhere,' Blumenthal said. 'Just in the skill and audacity of these attacks, it will rank with the United States raid on Osama bin Laden and the Israeli pager operation as one of the great military achievements in recent years.' Blumenthal said the White House remains hesitant to support the sanctions bill, but the battlefield momentum could sway President Donald Trump and skeptical lawmakers. 'Events will move the White House — and maybe some of the president's friends here,' he said, referring to Graham. 'Congress can … move ahead. [Trump] doesn't have to support it.'
17 minutes ago
Hegseth will skip a meeting on organizing military aid to Ukraine in a first for the US
WASHINGTON -- For the first time since the U.S. created an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine three years ago, America's Pentagon chief will not be in attendance when more than 50 other defense leaders meet Wednesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who returned from a national security conference in Singapore on Sunday, will not arrive in Brussels until Wednesday evening, after the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's meeting is over. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling details, confirmed that Hegseth also will not participate by video conference. It is the latest in a series of steps that the U.S. has taken to distance itself from the Ukraine war effort. And it comes on the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron's warning at the security conference last weekend that the U.S. and others risk a dangerous double standard if their concentration on a potential conflict with China is done at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. France and other NATO nations are concerned that the U.S. is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific. Macron said abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S. credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan. Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, created the group after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since then, more than 50 member nations have collectively provided Ukraine with some $126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including over $66.5 billion from the U.S. Under Austin's leadership, the U.S. served as chair of the group, and he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff attended monthly meetings, which were both in person and by video. Hegseth has upended that position by stepping away from a leadership role, providing no new military aid and now abandoning the gathering altogether. During his first meeting with the group and a subsequent NATO defense ministers gathering in Brussels in February, Hegseth warned that Ukraine should abandon its NATO bid and its push to reclaim all Russian-occupied territory. And he signaled that President Donald Trump is determined to get Europe to assume most of the financial and military responsibilities for Ukraine's defense. Since Trump took office, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Hegseth also turned leadership of the group over to Germany and the United Kingdom. While he will not attend Wednesday's session, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander, will be there. In Washington, meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is in town for talks about defense, sanctions and postwar recovery, said Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office. The Ukrainians met with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, discussing recent talks with the Russians and conditions on the battlefield, Yermak posted on social media. Svyrydenko and Yermak also are expected to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials Wednesday.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hegseth will skip a meeting on organizing military aid to Ukraine in a first for the US
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time since the U.S. created an international group to coordinate military aid to Ukraine three years ago, America's Pentagon chief will not be in attendance when more than 50 other defense leaders meet Wednesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who returned from a national security conference in Singapore on Sunday, will not arrive in Brussels until Wednesday evening, after the Ukraine Defense Contact Group's meeting is over. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss scheduling details, confirmed that Hegseth also will not participate by video conference. It is the latest in a series of steps that the U.S. has taken to distance itself from the Ukraine war effort. And it comes on the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron's warning at the security conference last weekend that the U.S. and others risk a dangerous double standard if their concentration on a potential conflict with China is done at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. France and other NATO nations are concerned that the U.S. is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific. Macron said abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S. credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan. Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, created the group after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Since then, more than 50 member nations have collectively provided Ukraine with some $126 billion in weapons and military assistance, including over $66.5 billion from the U.S. Under Austin's leadership, the U.S. served as chair of the group, and he and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff attended monthly meetings, which were both in person and by video. Hegseth has upended that position by stepping away from a leadership role, providing no new military aid and now abandoning the gathering altogether. During his first meeting with the group and a subsequent NATO defense ministers gathering in Brussels in February, Hegseth warned that Ukraine should abandon its NATO bid and its push to reclaim all Russian-occupied territory. And he signaled that President Donald Trump is determined to get Europe to assume most of the financial and military responsibilities for Ukraine's defense. Since Trump took office, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Hegseth also turned leadership of the group over to Germany and the United Kingdom. While he will not attend Wednesday's session, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command and NATO's supreme allied commander, will be there. In Washington, meanwhile, a senior Ukrainian delegation led by First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is in town for talks about defense, sanctions and postwar recovery, said Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine's presidential office. The Ukrainians met with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, discussing recent talks with the Russians and conditions on the battlefield, Yermak posted on social media. Svyrydenko and Yermak also are expected to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials Wednesday. ___ Associated Press writer Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
