Ukrainian drone strikes Moscow luxury tower days before Victory Day

A Ukrainian drone struck an upmarket residential high-rise in Moscow early Monday, punching through the façade and leaving at least one apartment devastated. No casualties resulted from the strike, but the damage proved substantial enough to draw emergency response crews to a flat buried in dust and rubble.

The attack marks the third consecutive night Moscow has faced drone fire, coming at a particularly awkward moment for the Kremlin as Russia prepares to hold a scaled-back 9 May parade celebrating Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. The targeted building sits in a southwest Moscow neighborhood roughly six miles from Red Square, where Saturday’s festivities are scheduled.

Two additional drones were intercepted over the capital, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Both Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports ceased operations overnight as a precaution. The Russian defense ministry claimed interception of 117 drones across multiple regions between Sunday and Monday, with 60 specifically targeting the St. Petersburg region in what local officials characterized as a “massive” assault.

The timing underscores Russian jitters about the upcoming celebration. Last week, the Kremlin announced it would significantly scale back the annual Red Square spectacle, citing “terrorist threats” from Ukraine. For the first time since 2008, no armored vehicles or missile systems will be displayed. Mobile internet providers have also announced restrictions across Moscow for much of the week under the guise of “security reasons.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seized on the nervousness, remarking that Moscow fears “drones will fly over Red Square.” He pledged to maintain pressure through continued strikes.

Ukraine’s drone capabilities have expanded considerably since Russia’s 2022 invasion, allowing strikes hundreds of miles from its borders. The weapons now routinely target Russian energy infrastructure and refineries to slash oil production and state revenue. On Sunday, Zelensky claimed Ukrainian strikes destroyed three Russian oil tankers, a cruise-missile carrier, and a patrol boat at two separate port facilities. The tankers reportedly belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” a workaround mechanism for Western sanctions.

Meanwhile, Russia continues its own daily aerial bombardment across Ukraine. Monday saw a Russian missile strike near Kharkiv kill four civilians and injure 18 others.