What do we know about drone attacks in Russia?published at 11:20 British Summer Time 1 August 2023

11:20 BST 1 August 2023

The overnight drone attack in Moscow is the latest in a series of reported drone strikes on Russia’s territory in the past months.

According to Russian media reports monitored by BBC Verify, there have been more than 120 suspected drone attacks this year on targets in Russia and Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. These have mainly concentrated in areas on the western border with Ukraine and the annexed Crimea peninsula.

But increasingly, drone attacks have been reported in Russia’s capital - including an apparent attack on the Kremlin in early May.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for specific incidents, although President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said attacks on Russian territory were an "inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process" of the war.

Laura Gozzi
Live reporter

The Moscow skyline reflects the city's long and complex history. Towering over golden church domes and Stalin-era skyscrapers is the uber-modern business district of Moskva-City - Moscow's answer to London's Canary Wharf or New York's Financial District.

Located only 7.6km (4.7m) from Red Square, Moskva-City is now home to the highest number of skyscrapers in Europe - despite having been essentially hastily built from the ground up over the last 20 years.

The damage done by the drone to one of the buildings - which hosts three government ministries - must look utterly out of place among the glittering glass facades, luxury hotels and expensive restaurants.

The Muscovites who commute to the sprawling business district for work probably feel very far from the front line of the war in Ukraine. These drone attacks might bring the conflict closer to home than it has perhaps ever felt for many.

Image source, AFP

Residents and workers around the Moskva-City complex have been talking about their experience of the drone attack.

Anastasia Berseneva, who is a resident of the Moscow tower, tells the AFP news agency: "During the night, I was woken up by a bang, there was an explosion. First, I thought that it was just a dream or a vision after what happened on Saturday night.

"But then I looked out of the window and I saw that cars were stopping, and that's how I realised that a drone attack had happened."

After the first attack, people thought it wouldn't happen again, Anastasia says.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, but I think I'm going to move from here," she adds.

Arkady Metler is also a tower resident.

"There is no fear," he says. "We should not be afraid. The ambulance came straight away, thank God ,there seems to be no casualties. All we can do now is stick together."

The Kremlin says it's clear that a threat exists after the latest drone attack on Moscow.

Staff at Russia's ministry of economic development, who worked in the skyscraper that was hit, have now been told to work from home, Reuters news agency reports.

The building that was struck is known as the IQ quarter, which houses the ministry of economic development, the digital ministry and the ministry of industry and trade. The building's glass facade was damaged, but no injuries have been reported.

Russia's defence ministry labelled the incident as a Ukrainian "terrorist attack". Kyiv usually makes no comments on such attacks.

Here are some images of the aftermath of the overnight drone strike on a Moscow skyscraper.

The building's glass facade was damaged, but no injuries have been reported.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Justin Crump, founder of the defence intelligence firm Sibylline, says in "a very short order" drones have managed to strike the capital in the same business government building in Moscow.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Crump says despite air defences being “very publicly put in place” in Moscow, these attacks are still getting through.

Crump thinks they are "a pinprick", but that the "frequency of incidents is alarming and that's certainly visible in some of the footage that's been released".

When asked if the drones were built by Ukrainians, he says: "Some of the footage we've seen does show Ukrainian indigenous designs." He explains they can carry a small explosive and "are capable of flying to Moscow from Ukrainian territory".

Crump says this is in line with Ukraine's pledge not to use Western-donated systems against targets within Russia itself.

"It's something the US and others are very sensitive about because of fears of being accused of escalation."

According to Russian media reports monitored by BBC Verify, there have been more than 120 suspected drone attacks this year in Russia and Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

There have been a series of drone attacks in the Moscow region in recent months, which is about 450km (280 miles) from the border, including a wave of strikes on 30 May which damaged several buildings.

Flights were forced to be diverted from Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow after a drone attack on 4 July.

Read more here.

Image source, .

Here is the latest on what has happened so far today:

• The mayor of Moscow says drones from Ukraine have struck a skyscraper in the Russian capital for the second time in two days. Kyiv has not responded to these claims
• Russia also says it has destroyed three Ukrainian unmanned boats that were trying to attack two Russian naval ships in the Black Sea early on Tuesday morning
• Officials in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, meanwhile, say Russian drones hit populated areas overnight and destroyed two floors of a college dormitory
• And according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, an overnight attempt by a Russian saboteur group to cross its northern border has been thwarted
• Six people - including a 10-year-old girl - were killed and 75 injured in a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Monday, local officials say

You can read more here.

The conflict in Ukraine may seem a long way from Moscow.

A skyscraper in Russia's capital Moscow was attacked by a drone for the second time in two days, the city's mayor has said.

In this video, the BBC's James Waterhouse explains how drone attacks could bring the war into focus for Russian citizens.

Ukraine has thwarted an overnight attempt by a Russian saboteur group to cross its northern border, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko has said.

Border guards detected four people moving from Russian territory, using thermal imagery, and opened fire on them which led them to retreat, Klymenko said on Telegram.

Ukrainian reserves were deployed to strengthen the area, he added.

Ukraine has strengthened its military in the north of the country after Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was said to be in Belarus.

Attacks add to psychological pressure on Russiapublished at 09:06 British Summer Time 1 August 2023

09:06 BST 1 August 2023

James Waterhouse
BBC Ukraine correspondent, reporting from Kyiv

Image source, Reuters

It is the second time in as many days that authorities in Moscow say the city has been attacked by Ukrainian drones.

Even the same skyscraper was reportedly struck with unverified footage of shattered windows on a high-rise floor.

The Kremlin also claims two naval ships were targeted off the coast of occupied Crimea. It is always hard to say definitively who is behind strikes like these deep into Russian or Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine.

There’ve been more than 100 so far this year. What is without doubt is the psychological pressure they put on both the Russian population and the Kremlin itself.

For Ukrainian cities close to the border with Russia or the front line, attacks from the sky are a daily occurrence.

Russia’s defence ministry has said, external that a Ukrainian drone attack targeted its boats in the Black Sea overnight.

In a statement, it said: "During the night, Ukrainian armed forces tried without success to attack with three drones the Sergey Kotov and Vasily Bykov patrol boats of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.

"The three naval enemy drones were destroyed," it added.

They said the boats were attacked 340km (210 miles) south-west of Sevastopol at the base of Russia's Black Sea fleet on the annexed Crimea peninsula.

The mayor of Russia’s capital, Moscow, says a skyscraper in the city has been hit for the second time in two days. The country’s defence ministry has blamed Ukraine.

Kyiv has not responded to these claims, nor to the allegation that three Ukrainian unmanned boats trying to attack Russian naval ships in the Black Sea had been destroyed.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine are continuing. A dormitory was damaged in an overnight in Kharkiv, according to the city’s mayor.

That’s after six people, including a 10-year-old girl - were killed and dozens injured in a Russian missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Monday.

Stay with us as we bring you all the latest updates.