Ukraine launches ‘largest ever’ drone attack on Moscow after Russia ‘bombs Ukrainian children’s cafe’ as Putin desperately drums up support from Chechen warlord pal Ramzan Kadyrov
Ukraine has reportedly carried out the largest drone strike on Moscow since Vladimir Putin’s invasion in February 2022.
Russian officials said they shot down 11 drones flying toward Moscow and had to fend off another 23 over the Bryansk border region, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.
The attack follows a bombardment by Putin’s forces on a children’s hospital in the war-torn Zaporizhia region, which killed at least one boy and wounded four other young people.
Video footage showed Russian air defense systems running at full speed all night. Air defense systems suddenly blew up drones in western Russia, leaving nothing but fireballs and debris.
Many Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, located 39 kilometers south of the capital.
Video footage showed Russian air defense systems working overtime all night
Vladimir Putin (pictured) has made gains in Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region
Putin’s troops attack children’s cafe in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region
Putin was seen last night with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov (pictured)
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said of the attack: “This is one of the largest attempts ever to attack Moscow with drones.”
Despite this, the mayor reported that there were no injuries, casualties or damage following the attack.
The governor of the Bryansk region said there were no casualties or damage in his region either.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the latest drone attack on Russia, but the country said its forces attacked a missile base in Novoshakhtinsk near Rostov.
“It should be noted that the Russian invaders also use the S-300 complexes to attack peaceful cities in Ukraine, destroying residential buildings and terrorizing the civilian population,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
The event comes after the Lavender Café, a children’s café in the Zaporizhia region, was hit by a Russian missile.
Shocking police footage showed children being helped after the attack on civilians.
Tragically, a 15-year-old boy died in the attack. The others injured in the shooting were aged 11, 14, 17 and 18, police said.
A teenage girl is reportedly in serious condition.
The destroyed cafe was located in the village of Malokaterynivka, about 30 kilometers from the front line, and was known to be popular with local children.
The head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, said there had been a direct attack on the cafe.
“These are the consequences of the Russian attack on Malokaterynivka,” he said.
Many of the Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, which is 39 kilometers south of the capital
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said of the attack: “This is one of the largest attempts ever to attack Moscow with drones.”
The Lavender Café, a children’s café in the Zaporizhia region, was hit by a Russian missile
Tragically, a 15-year-old boy died in the attack. The others injured in the shelling were aged 11, 14, 17 and 18.
The terrorist state [Russia] maims civilians and doesn’t even stop at children. We have to stop this.’
The bitter war between Russia and Ukraine has escalated in recent weeks, with Ukraine brutally sending troops into Russian territory in the largest foreign attack on Putin’s country since World War II.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in its daily report Tuesday night that the Ukrainians have made further progress in their invasion, now in its third week.
Ukrainian forces were noted as appearing to bomb Russian pontoon bridges and pontoon equipment across the Sejm River in an area west of Kurst Oblast.
The daring invasion of Russia has boosted morale in Ukraine and changed the dynamics of the fighting.
Meanwhile, Russia is making progress in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the industrial region of Donbas.
Putin was seen last night with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, seen by many as one of his closest allies, in Chechnya, where the two inspected troops preparing for battle against Ukraine.
Putin was seen last night with Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, considered by many to be one of his closest allies, in Chechnya
Chechnya is a largely Islamic republic that is still part of Russia
Kadyrov told Putin on Tuesday that Chechnya, a largely Muslim republic that is part of Russia, has sent more than 47,000 troops to fight against Ukraine since the start of the war.
The Kremlin has been confident that Kadyrov will keep the North Caucasus stable after years of unrest
“As long as we have men like you, we are absolutely, absolutely invincible,” Putin told troops at Russia’s Special Forces University, a training school in Chechnya’s Gudermes province, according to a transcript on the Kremlin’s website.
“It’s one thing to shoot here at a shooting range, and another to endanger your life and health. But you have an inner need to defend the Fatherland and the courage to make such a decision.”
Kadyrov told Putin on Tuesday that Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim republic that is part of Russia, has sent more than 47,000 troops to fight Ukraine since the start of the war, including about 19,000 volunteers.
He has described himself several times in the past as Putin’s “foot soldiers.”
The Kremlin is counting on Kadyrov to ensure stability in the North Caucasus after years of unrest.
International human rights groups accuse Kadyrov’s security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and abductions of dissidents, but Russian authorities have repeatedly blocked demands for investigations.
The Kremlin sent fighters from Chechnya to protect Moscow from a failed mutiny by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin last year. But some commentators warned that Kadyrov’s ambitions could also pose a threat to federal authorities.