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Ukrainian drones hit Moscow, Crimea


MOSCOW, July 25 ------ Ukrainian drones hit two buildings in Moscow and an ammunition depot in Russian-annexed Crimea, Russian officials said, as Kyiv reported another Russian strike on a grain facility. Russia said it had neutralized two Ukrainian drones over Moscow during the night with no casualties reported. One of the drones crashed close to the Defense Ministry in the center of the Russian capital, while the other hit an office building in southern Moscow. The attacks came a day after Kyiv vowed to "retaliate" for a Russian missile attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa.


Agence France-Presse (AFP) reporters at the scene of the strike near the ministry on Komsomolsky Prospekt saw a two-story building with a damaged roof behind a police cordon. "I wasn't asleep. It was 3:39 a.m. The house really shook," Vladimir, a 70-year-old local resident, told AFP about the moment of impact. "It is scandalous that a Ukrainian drone almost flew into the Defense Ministry," said Vladimir, who declined to give his last name, as he took pictures at the scene.


In Crimea, Moscow-installed Gov. Sergei Aksyonov said Russian forces shot down 11 Ukrainian drones. An ammunition depot was "hit" and a private house "damaged," he added without providing further details. Aksyonov also said villages near the depot were being evacuated. Annexed by Russia in 2014, Crimea has been targeted by Kyiv since the invasion began in February 2022, but has come under more intense, increased attacks in recent weeks. Kyiv has repeatedly said it plans to take back Crimea.


In southern Ukraine's Odesa region, officials reported a four-hour Russian drone attack on port infrastructure on the Danube River. "As a result of the strikes, a grain hangar was destroyed, tanks for storing other types of cargo were damaged," Ukraine's southern military command said on Telegram. The Danube delta region, which spans across Romania and Ukraine, is being used as an export route for Ukrainian grain. Russia last week pulled out of a key deal that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Since then, Kyiv has accused Russia of targeting grain supplies and infrastructure vital to grain exports. Ukraine's military said it shot down three of the drones used in Monday's attack. "According to initial reports, about four workers of the port were injured, but the information is still being clarified," it said. Russia's Defense Ministry branded the Moscow drone attack a "terrorist act." "Two Ukrainian drones were suppressed and crashed. There are no casualties," it said.


Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drone strikes occurred at about 4 a.m., adding that "there was no serious damage." Moscow and its environs lie about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, but have been hit by several drone attacks this year, with one even hitting the Kremlin in May. Earlier this month, Russia said it had shot down five Ukrainian drones that disrupted the functioning of Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport. After the Russian strikes on Odesa, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to retaliate on Sunday. "They will definitely feel this," Zelensky said. "We cannot allow people around the world to get used to terrorist attacks." "The target of all these missiles is not just cities, villages or people. Their target is humanity and the foundations of our entire European culture," he added.


Source: manilatimes.net

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