Ukraine War: Russia shot down the Ukrainian drones near Moscow and holds Kiev responsible

Russia announced on Tuesday that it had shot down five drones near Moscow, blaming Ukraine for committing a “terrorist act” that led to traffic disruptions at Vnukovo International Airport near the capital.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said, “This morning, we thwarted the Kiev regime’s attempt to commit a terrorist act by using five drones” against targets in the Moscow region and on the outskirts of the Russian capital, noting that four of them were shot down by air defenses, while the fifth was disabled using “electronic warfare methods”.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Ukraine’s attempt to target an area where civilian infrastructure facilities are located, including an airport that receives international flights.

In addition, the prosecutor’s office in the Ukrainian city of Kherson said in a statement, Tuesday, that a man and a woman were killed in the morning bombing of the city in southern Ukraine.

He added that the authorities are working to verify the number of wounded, while damage to property has been reported.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the Air Defense Forces in a video address on the country’s “Day of the Anti-Aircraft Missile Forces,” a professional holiday that has been celebrated for several years among the armed forces.

Zelensky said in his video message, which was broadcast on Monday evening in Kiev: “First of all, I congratulate our anti-aircraft responsible for forces warriors … The fighters of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the Ukrainian Air Force, who are celebrating their holiday today”.

Zelensky added that since the beginning of the war, more than 180 Russian aircraft, more than 130 helicopters, and more than a thousand cruise missiles have been shot down, in addition to more than 1,600 drones of various types.

“All of this means thousands upon thousands of lives that you have saved, and hundreds of critical infrastructure facilities that you have protected,” he told the forces that run the country’s air defenses.

Zelensky also said he thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, in a phone call on Monday, for helping Ukraine’s air defense in a very strong way.

“The impressive German Iris-T systems have proven to be very effective in protecting our skies,” Zelensky said.

He continued, “We also have very effective US Patriot missiles, which Germany provided to us… Ukraine is grateful to them, as well as for the rest of the vital assistance”.

Zelensky repeated his request that the country needed more help from the West to protect itself.

“Unfortunately, our country doesn’t have enough high-quality anti-aircraft systems to protect our entire territory and destroy all enemy targets,” he said.