Moscow skyscraper burns as ‘Ukrainian drones’ slam into business centre near Russian Defence Ministry sites – while giant explosions rock Crimea

A skyscraper was on fire in Moscow this morning after drones were brought down over the Russian capital in the latest suspected Ukrainian attack, as massive explosions rocked occupied Crimea.

The drones — believed to be targeting Russian Defense Ministry facilities — were brought down by electronic warfare interference, according to Russian sources.

One caused severe damage to a tower block in a business center on Likhacheva Prospekt near one of Moscow’s main ring roads.

According to Russian expert Hristo Grozev, a drone has come down near a military university that serves as the headquarters of the GRU military intelligence service’s “cyber offensive”. There was no immediate confirmation of the attack or claim of responsibility.

It came as an ammunition depot was hit during a Ukrainian drone strike on Dzhankoi in Crimea early Monday, in which Russian air defense forces shot down or electronically jammed 11 drones over the area, a Russian-installed official said.

Meanwhile, a Russian nighttime drone attack on port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odessa region destroyed a grain hangar, Kiev’s military said Monday.

This followed a Russian missile strike that heavily damaged a historic Orthodox cathedral in Odessa on Sunday, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to vow retaliation.

In Moscow, fragments of a drone were found a mile from the Defense Ministry, a report said on Monday. Windows of shops and apartment buildings were also smashed on Komsomolsky Prospekt.

“At the age of 17, Komsomolsky Prospekt, the debris of a drone was discovered. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties,” an emergency official told TASS.

“On the morning of July 24, an attempt by the regime in Kiev to carry out a terrorist attack against facilities on the territory of the city of Moscow using two unmanned aerial vehicles was foiled,” the ministry said on Telegram.

“Two Ukrainian UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles] were suppressed by electronic warfare means and crashed,” the ministry added

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said: “Drone attacks on two non-residential buildings were recorded at about 4 a.m. today and caused no major damage or casualties. All emergency services are on site.’

In the early morning light, a drone zoomed through Moscow, while photos of the scene in the aftermath of the stroke showed the ground at the base of the tall building covered in rubble, as security services searched the rubble.

A video in Moscow recorded a voice saying, “Something exploded next to our house.

Our windows almost flew out. We better check the news. It was a very strong explosion.’

Two drone strikes that hit the Kremlin on May 3 were attributed to Ukraine by the Russians. This was portrayed as an attempt to “kill Putin.”

At the end of May, a drone attack took place near Putin’s palatial residence Novo-Ogaryovo, near Moscow.

There was no immediate response from Kiev to today’s strikes in Moscow.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks in Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has said in recent months that destroying Russia’s military infrastructure aids Kiev’s counteroffensive.

Speaking of the strikes in Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov — the Russian-installed governor of the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014 — said a residential building in the region had been damaged.

He said there was no indication of casualties, but people within a 3-mile radius of the incident were evacuated.

It was not immediately clear whether the ammunition depot was directly hit by a drone or if it was damaged by falling drone debris.

Russia has a military air base near Dzhankoi. Ukrainian officials have long said the city and surrounding areas have turned into Moscow’s largest military base in Crimea.

Aksyonov also said on the Telegram messaging app that “for safety reasons,” rail and road traffic in the area has been suspended.

Reuters news agency said it could not independently verify reports of the attacks. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the alleged attack.

Ukraine has said in recent months that destroying Russia’s military infrastructure is helping Kiev’s counter-offensive.

It was the second attack on Crimea in three days. On Saturday, Aksyonov said a drone caused an explosion at an ammunition depot in central Crimea, prompting authorities to evacuate people nearby and temporarily halt road traffic on the bridge connecting the peninsula to Russia.

Ukraine did claim that incident, saying its army destroyed a Russian army oil depot and storage facilities.

Meanwhile, the Kyiv army said Monday that a nighttime drone attack on port infrastructure in the Odessa region destroyed a grain hangar.

“Tonight, an almost four-hour attack by ‘Shahed-136’ drones targeted the Danube port infrastructure” in the Odessa region, Ukraine’s southern military command said on Telegram.

“As a result of the strikes, a grain shed was destroyed, tanks for the storage of other types of cargo were damaged.”

Three of the Iranian-made Shahed attack drones used in the attack were destroyed by air defenses, the military said.

“According to initial reports, about four dockers were injured, but the information is still being clarified,” it said.

Attacks on Ukraine’s Odessa region have increased since Russia last week pulled out of a major deal that allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain to the Black Sea.

Russian authorities subsequently announced that they would consider all ships headed for Ukrainian grain ports on the Black Sea as military targets.

Russia launched 19 missiles against the city of Odessa this weekend, crushing the historic city center and grain hub, killing one and injuring many more.

Ukraine said on Sunday that the death toll from the overnight strikes left one person dead and 22 injured, including four children.

Kiev has accused Russia of targeting grain supplies and infrastructure that are vital to an eventual resumption of Ukrainian grain exports.