On August 21, 2024, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone assaults on Moscow, as its forces continued a significant incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, according to Russian authorities.
The air defense troops over Moscow and its surroundings, including the city of Podolsk, which is 38 kilometers (24 miles) south of the Kremlin, successfully intercepted 11 drones, according to a report from Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
It was one of the biggest drone strikes on the capital to date, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Thankfully, there were no injuries or reported damages.
Attacks by drones on Moscow are rare, and this attempt is more successful than the one that occurred in May 2023, when at least eight drones were shot down. The Defense Ministry verified that 45 Ukrainian drones were destroyed overnight in a number of different locations, indicating that the current bombardment was a part of a larger offensive against Russia.
In addition to the 11 drones downed over Moscow, 23 were destroyed in the Bryansk region, six in Belgorod, three in Kaluga, and two in Kursk. Russia’s state news agency RIA also reported the interception of two drones in the Tula region.
After the attack on Moscow, the airports at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky in Moscow were temporarily closed for business. Later in the day, all three did, however, return to their regular activities. While Moscow and other Russian cities are well-protected, Al Jazeera’s Defense Editor, Alex Gatopoulos, reporting from Kyiv, observed that it is still unclear whether this attack represents a shift in Ukraine’s strategy or simply an isolated incident.
Continued Clashes in Kursk
As the drone attacks unfolded, Russia faced ongoing difficulties in pushing Ukrainian forces out of Kursk. Two weeks after Ukraine’s unexpected incursion into the region, Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk, confirmed that one person was killed, and two others were injured when a Ukrainian drone targeted a vehicle.
Following the surprise raid on August 6, hundreds of prisoners were captured, and tens of thousands of civilians were forced to evacuate. Ukraine now claims control over 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Kursk territory, including 93 settlements.
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Russia’s electoral commission announced that elections in seven municipalities in Kursk would be postponed due to the ongoing unrest, with the assurance that voting would resume as soon as voter security was ensured.
The deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, categorically refused any talks with Ukraine until its forces are completely destroyed on Wednesday. He underlined that the debating period had ended.
Ongoing Military Engagements
Ukrainian forces reported that they successfully struck an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system in Russia’s Rostov region. Additionally, Ukraine’s military claimed to have intercepted and destroyed 50 out of 69 attack drones launched by Russia overnight, with one drone entering Ukraine from Belarus.
Earlier, Ukrainian drones had targeted an oil storage facility in Rostov, causing a significant fire. By Wednesday, hundreds of Russian firefighters were still battling the blaze.
Gatopoulos remarked that Ukraine’s recent actions have effectively diminished Russia’s industrial capacity to sustain its war efforts.
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Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry announced that its forces had taken control of Zhelanne, a settlement in the Donetsk region, as part of a broader campaign to capture the entire area.
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
In unrelated news, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow. Putin emphasized the ongoing cooperative initiatives that the two countries are working on and predicted would last for many years.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected in Kiev on Friday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following his meeting with Putin in July. Modi intends to talk about several approaches to resolving the dispute with Russia. India, a big purchaser of Russian weaponry, has not denounced Russia’s incursion into Ukraine.
