Vladimir Putin has been forced to cancel one of his flagship military parades after Ukraine swarmed Moscow with hundreds of drones in one of Kyiv's largest attacks on Russian soil to date. At least 627 drones targeted Moscow last night, piercing air defences in Ukraine's latest attempt to ram home to Kremlin powerbrokers the consequences of refusing to halt the conflict.
Massive drone attack on Moscow
Another Wildberries online marketplace logistics hub was hit, with this giant "Russian Amazon" now facing £8.7 billion in damages due to incessant Ukrainian strikes. Muscovites suffered a night of hell as explosions rocked the capital and surrounding region, leading to incoming drones falling on civilian infrastructure.
Energy plants were hit leading to electricity blackouts. All four main Moscow airports faced flight restrictions. Initial reports from Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said only 197 of the 600-plus drones had been shot down over the surrounding region.
Spasskaya Tower festival cancelled
Putin faced further humiliation as he was forced to cancel the annual Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival on Red Square, scheduled for August 21-24, an event that was his brainchild. This amounted to an admission that the Russian dictator cannot guarantee the safety of central Moscow from Ukrainian drone or missile strikes. It was cancelled "for reasons beyond the organisers' control" for the first time during the four years of the war.
This came as a Russian Banderol hybrid drone-missile attacked Ukraine's small pro-Western neighbour Moldova, exploding in a cornfield. The kamikaze unmanned plane came down near the village of Talmaza, leading to the country's president Maia Sandu accusing Russians of deliberately targeting Moldova.
Moldovan president blames Russia
"I believe some arrive by accident and others arrive because they are sent—not only into our airspace, but also into the airspace of other countries in the region. We have seen this in Romania and Poland," she said. "In either case, these drones violate our country's airspace and pose a danger to people. The only party responsible for these things is the Russian Federation, which started this war." It was vital "to help Ukraine and ensure that Ukraine wins this war".
In Moscow region, the drone strike hit the Wildberries logistics hub at the Atlant-Park area of Bogorodsky district in the biggest overnight attack for two years. Drones were also shot down in Kupavna, near an Ozon online retailer and marketplace warehouse. In Kolomna, a commercial pavilion near the Globus shopping centre was struck. The Moscow Oil Refinery was also targeted, according to reports.
Impact on Russia's grain exports
The damage was unclear but huge petrol queues have again hit the capital amid Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries. Three people, including a 10-year-old girl, were injured in the drone attacks in Moscow region. A total of 791 drones were shot down across Russia, said the country's Defence Ministry.
More evidence of the impact of Ukraine's strikes on Russia came as it was revealed almost all Putin's Black and Azov Sea grain exports - worth £11 billion a year - have been scuppered. With exporters barely buying and domestic grain prices plunging below production costs, Russian Grain Union president Arkady Zlochevsky warned: "This is a catastrophic level—colossal losses." Russia hit targets in Brovary, Kyiv region, seeking to weaken Ukrainian firepower.
