Russia felt in its heart the cruelty of the invasion it deployed in Ukraine

2023-05-31 06:30:00

The bloody invasion that Russia unleashed on Ukraine in February 2022, and which has left more than 13 million victims – including dead, wounded and displaced – touched the heart of Moscow directly on Tuesday. And although Kiev denies being responsible for the drone attack that was deployed on the Russian capital, the truth is that Vladimir Putin first felt the effects of the war that he himself deployed more than a year ago.

Indeed, President Putin accused Ukraine of wanting to “terrorize” the population of his country, almost ironically by ignoring how his troops have made Ukrainians feel after the invasion, after the unprecedented attack by drones against Moscow and its region. This also coincided with a new wave of bombardments on kyiv coming precisely from Russian territory.

“The Kiev regime has chosen (…) to terrorize Russia and intimidate the Russians,” the Russian leader said in a statement broadcast on public television.

And he did it after confirming that several drones hit buildings in the Russian capital at dawn, causing fear among a population that is more than 500 kilometers from Ukraine.

“We were all sleeping, it was 4:00 in the morning. Suddenly there were two explosions and the alarms of all the cars went off,” said Maxim, 40, near Atlassova Street, where one of the drones landed.

According to the authorities, eight drones were detected and all were neutralized with anti-missile shields, although some fragments fell on the buildings.

The attack, the largest since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, takes place after several bombardments against kyiv in just 24 hours. For Putin, it was a response to the recent Russian bombing of the headquarters of the Ukrainian military intelligence services. kyiv did not report an attack on this building.

The raid on Moscow caused only two minor injuries and “minor” damage, according to authorities, but had a strong psychological impact.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, which branded the attack “irresponsible”, accused Western powers of the assault for supporting Kiev.

But the US State Department said it did not support “attacks inside Russia.”

In any case, AFP journalists saw a building with broken glass and cordoned off by the Police. This intervention against Moscow occurs in a context in which attacks on Russian territory have multiplied.

In fact, one person died and two others were injured on Tuesday in a Ukrainian bombardment on a center for displaced persons in the Russian region of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine, according to the regional governor, Viacheslav Gladkov. “Ukrainian armed forces fired artillery on a center for displaced persons housing elderly civilians and children,” he explained on Telegram. He said the injured are “in serious condition,” with “deep wounds to the abdomen” in one case, and to the chest in the other case.

kyiv, which for several weeks has claimed that it is finishing preparations for a major counteroffensive to regain ground from Russian forces, did not claim responsibility for any of these attacks. Mikhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian Presidency, assured that his country had no “direct link” with the attack in Moscow. And shortly before the assault on that city was reported, the Ukrainians reported a “massive attack” against kyiv, the third in just 24 hours.

The Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down 29 of a total of 31 Iranian-made explosive drones, “almost all near the capital and in the skies over Kiev.” One person died and 11 were injured in these bombings, said its mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

That series of Russian missiles intercepted over kyiv in broad daylight on Monday, sowing panic after another night of shelling. The inhabitants went to the underground shelters, especially in the subway.

The bloody invasion that Russia unleashed on Ukraine in February 2022, and which has left more than 13 million victims – including dead, wounded and displaced – touched the heart of Moscow directly on Tuesday. And although Kiev denies being responsible for the drone attack that was deployed on the Russian capital, the truth is that Vladimir Putin first felt the effects of the war that he himself deployed more than a year ago.

Indeed, President Putin accused Ukraine of wanting to “terrorize” the population of his country, almost ironically by ignoring how his troops have made Ukrainians feel after the invasion, after the unprecedented attack by drones against Moscow and its region. This also coincided with a new wave of bombardments on kyiv coming precisely from Russian territory.

“The Kiev regime has chosen (…) to terrorize Russia and intimidate the Russians,” the Russian leader said in a statement broadcast on public television.

And he did it after confirming that several drones hit buildings in the Russian capital at dawn, causing fear among a population that is more than 500 kilometers from Ukraine.

“We were all sleeping, it was 4:00 in the morning. Suddenly there were two explosions and the alarms of all the cars went off,” said Maxim, 40, near Atlassova Street, where one of the drones landed.

According to the authorities, eight drones were detected and all were neutralized with anti-missile shields, although some fragments fell on the buildings.

The attack, the largest since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, takes place after several bombardments against kyiv in just 24 hours. For Putin, it was a response to the recent Russian bombing of the headquarters of the Ukrainian military intelligence services. kyiv did not report an attack on this building.

The raid on Moscow caused only two minor injuries and “minor” damage, according to authorities, but had a strong psychological impact.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, which branded the attack “irresponsible”, accused Western powers of the assault for supporting Kiev.

But the US State Department said it did not support “attacks inside Russia.”

In any case, AFP journalists saw a building with broken glass and cordoned off by the Police. This intervention against Moscow occurs in a context in which attacks on Russian territory have multiplied.

In fact, one person died and two others were injured on Tuesday in a Ukrainian bombardment on a center for displaced persons in the Russian region of Belgorod, on the border with Ukraine, according to the regional governor, Viacheslav Gladkov. “Ukrainian armed forces fired artillery on a center for displaced persons housing elderly civilians and children,” he explained on Telegram. He said the injured are “in serious condition,” with “deep wounds to the abdomen” in one case, and to the chest in the other case.

kyiv, which for several weeks has claimed that it is finishing preparations for a major counteroffensive to regain ground from Russian forces, did not claim responsibility for any of these attacks. Mikhailo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian Presidency, assured that his country had no “direct link” with the attack in Moscow. And shortly before the assault on that city was reported, the Ukrainians reported a “massive attack” against kyiv, the third in just 24 hours.

The Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down 29 of a total of 31 Iranian-made explosive drones, “almost all near the capital and in the skies over Kiev.” One person died and 11 were injured in these bombings, said its mayor, Vitali Klitschko.

That series of Russian missiles intercepted over kyiv in broad daylight on Monday, sowing panic after another night of shelling. The inhabitants went to the underground shelters, especially in the subway.