Ukraine 'pleased to watch' Moscow drone attacks but denies involvement
Volodymyr Zelensky is Ukraine's President
(Image: GETTY)
The Ukrainian government has officially denied any involvement in the drone attack reportedly launched on Moscow on Tuesday - but an official said to be "pleased" to have seen it unfold. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, went as far as to predict similar attacks could "increase" with time.
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Appearing on the Breakfast Show YouTube channel, he said: "Of course we are pleased to watch and predict an increase in the number of attacks."
However, he denied his government had anything to do with the drone attack, adding: "But of course we have nothing directly to do with this."
These remarks came a few hours after reports of several unmanned vehicles flying over Moscow emerged.
Local reports claimed the drones were as many as 32, while the Russian Ministry of Defence said the aircraft were eight - and were all shot down.
In a statement, Russian Defence officials described the drone attack as an act of terrorism, saying: "This morning, the Kyiv regime has launched a terrorist drone attack on the city of Moscow. Eight aircraft-type drones were employed in the attack. All enemy drones were downed.
"Three of them were suppressed by electronic warfare, lost control, and deviated from the intended targets. Five more UAVs were shot down by the Pantsir-S SAM system in Moscow region."
Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin had previously said a number of residents had been evacuated from the building allegedly targeted by the drones.
He also described the damage made by the drones as "insignificant", adding "no one has been seriously hurt".
In a new update shared on Telegram hours after the drones flew over Moscow, the mayor said: "Emergency services have taken all the necessary measures to study the circumstances of buildings damaged by unmanned aerial vehicles.
"[Having been] evacuated for the purpose of unhindered work of special services, residents are beginning to return to their homes. Residents of the building on Leninsky Prospekt will be the first to return to their apartments. Specialists have been instructed to eliminate minor damages in buildings as soon as possible."
The drone reportedly targeted a number of wealthy areas in Moscow, including the elite district of Rublyovka.
Blocks of flats in Leninisky Prospekt and Profsoyuznaya Street, near the centre of the capital, were reportedly damaged.
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Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at 8:59 am