Russian air defenses on Tuesday foiled a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow that prompted authorities to briefly close one of the city’s international airports, officials said, as a Western analysis said that Russia has managed to slow Kyiv’s recently launched counteroffensive.
The drone attack, which follows previous similar raids on the Russian capital, was the first known assault on the city since an abortive mutiny launched 11 days ago by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Authorities in Ukraine didn’t say whether it launched the drone raid.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that four of the five drones were downed by air defenses on the outskirts of Moscow and the fifth was jammed by electronic warfare means and forced down.
There were no casualties or damage, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
The drone attack prompted authorities to temporarily restrict flights at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport and divert flights to two other Moscow main airports. Vnukovo is about 15 kilometers (nine miles) southwest of Moscow.
In May, two daring drone attacks jolted the Russian capital, in what appeared to be Kyiv’s deepest strikes into Russia.
The raid came as Ukrainian forces have continued probing Russian defenses in the south and the east of their country in their counteroffensive.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council, claimed that the military was currently focusing on destroying Russian equipment and personnel, and that the last few days of fighting have been particularly “fruitful.” He provided no evidence and it wasn’t possible to independently verify it.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said Tuesday the Kremlin’s forces have “refined (their) tactics aimed at slowing Ukrainian armored counteroffensive operations in southern Ukraine.”
Western analysts say the counteroffensive, even if it prospers, won’t end the war.
Russia, meanwhile, has continued its missile and drone barrage deep behind the front line.
Oleksandr Lysenko, mayor of the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, said that three people were killed and 21 others were wounded in a Russian drone strike on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack also damaged the regional headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s main intelligence agency. He argued that the country needs more air defense systems to help fend off Russian raids.
Putin referred to the recent mercenary rebellion during a video call Tuesday with leaders of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, which is a security grouping dominated by Moscow and Beijing.
Putin said that “Russian political circles, the entire society have shown unity and responsibility for the fate of the motherland by putting up a united front against the attempted mutiny.”
He thanked the SCO members for what he described as their support during the attempted mutiny.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also said that a united front thwarted Prigozhin’s mutiny. He said Monday in his first public comment about the episode that it “failed primarily because the armed forces personnel have remained loyal to their military oath and duty.” He said that the mutiny had no impact on the war in Ukraine.
