Officials claimed Russian air defenses prevented a Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow on Tuesday, prompting authorities to temporarily block one of the city's international airports, as a Western report indicated Russia had slowed Kyiv's newly started counter-offensive.
The drone operation, which followed previous such attacks on the Russian capital, was the first recorded assault on the city since Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin staged an unsuccessful insurrection 11 days ago.
Ukraine's authorities did not clarify whether the drone raid was launched by them.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, four of the five drones were shot down by air defenses on the outskirts of Moscow, while the fifth was jammed by electronic warfare and forced down.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, there were no injuries or damage.
Following the drone strike, officials briefly restricted flights at Moscow's Vnukovo airport and diverted planes to two other major Moscow airports. Vnukovo is located around 15 kilometers (nine miles) southwest of Moscow.
In May, two audacious drone assaults shook Moscow, seeming to be Kyiv's deepest strikes into Russia.
The attack occurred as Ukrainian soldiers proceeded to probe Russian fortifications in their country's south and east as part of their counteroffensive.
The secretary of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, claimed that the military was currently focusing on destroying Russian equipment and personnel and that the last few days of fighting had been particularly "fruitful." He provided no evidence, and it was impossible to independently verify his claim.
According to the United Kingdom's Defense Ministry, the Kremlin's troops have "refined (their) tactics aimed at slowing Ukrainian armored counteroffensive operations in southern Ukraine."
Western observers believe that even if the counteroffensive succeeds, it will not end the conflict.
Meanwhile, Russia has maintained its missile and drone onslaught further behind the front lines.
According to Oleksandr Lysenko, mayor of Sumy in northern Ukraine, three persons were murdered and 21 others were injured in a Russian drone strike on Monday.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the attack also destroyed the regional offices of Ukraine's Security Service, the country's principal intelligence organization. He said that the country requires stronger air defense systems to combat Russian incursions.
During a video chat with leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, a security organization dominated by Moscow and Beijing on Tuesday, Putin mentioned the recent mercenary mutiny.
Putin said that “Russian political circles, the entire society have shown unity and responsibility for the fate of the motherland by putting up a united front against the attempted mutiny.”
He hailed the SCO members for their "unwavering support" throughout the attempted insurrection.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also stated that Prigozhin's rebellion was foiled by a united front. In his first public remark on the mutiny, Putin stated on Monday that it "failed primarily because the armed forces personnel remained loyal to their military oath and duty." Putin also stated that the mutiny had no influence on the conflict in Ukraine.
