Ukrainian drone attacks on residential areas in Russia demonstrate why Moscow must continue its military operation against Kiev, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Early on Tuesday, at least two apartment blocks were damaged in the city of Ramenskoye outside Moscow amid a large-scale Ukrainian UAV raid on Russian territory. One person was killed and three others hospitalized as a result of the attack, according to Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyev.
“Night strikes on residential areas can in no way be associated with military action,” Peskov told journalists later in the day.
By attacking the apartment blocks, “the Kiev regime continues to demonstrate its essence. They are the enemies,” he said.
Russia “must continue its military operation [against Ukraine] in order to protect ourselves from such manifestations of such a regime,” the spokesman added.
Peskov refused to comment on the effectiveness of Russian air defenses during the raid, saying this should be left to experts.
“On a non-professional level, we can say that our military has already acquired considerable experience in combating drones. They are producing good results,” he stressed.
“I cannot say how the supreme commander-in-chief [Russian President Vladimir Putin] rates it,” the spokesman added.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday morning that a total of 144 drones had been destroyed or intercepted during “an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using unmanned aerial vehicles” on Russian territory overnight.
Incoming plane-type UAVs were shot down over nine Russian regions, including 72 drones above Bryansk Region and 20 above Moscow Region, the ministry said.
Kiev has intensified its drone incursions into Russia since January, mainly targeting energy infrastructure, but also hitting residential areas. Moscow has responded by adding Ukrainian power plants to its list of legitimate military targets. Most of Ukraine’s non-nuclear generation capacity has been disabled or destroyed by Russian strikes since then.
A large-scale Ukrainian UAV attack on Russian territory took place on September 1 and saw as many as 158 drones eliminated above more than a dozen Russian regions, according to the Defense Ministry. There were also several major raids in August.