25-7-2023 (MOSCOW) In a series of incidents exposing vulnerabilities, Ukraine claimed responsibility for a drone attack in central Moscow on Monday (Jul 24), while accusing Russian forces of hitting grain facilities near Odesa. These events come in the wake of Russia’s withdrawal from a key deal that previously allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, leading to escalating tensions between the two nations.
In Moscow, the areas surrounding the defense ministry were cordoned off by police after a drone crashed near the building. Additionally, another drone strike shattered glass walls of an office building in a southern district. A Ukrainian defense source revealed to AFP that the drone attack was part of a “special operation” carried out by Ukraine’s military intelligence. The incident occurred one day after Kyiv promised retaliation for a Russian missile strike in Odesa.
???? The aftermath of the drone attack on #Moscow https://t.co/Etda90sFnR pic.twitter.com/rpUde7Z86B
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) July 24, 2023
The Russian foreign ministry condemned the attacks, describing them as “terrorist methods” aimed at intimidating the civilian population. The drone strike in Moscow caused significant damage to a two-story building, with the roof torn apart by the impact of the crash. Witnesses reported feeling the tremors from the explosion, leaving residents shocked and outraged.
In Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, the Moscow-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov reported that an ammunition depot had also been hit by drones.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s Odesa region, officials reported a four-hour Russian drone attack on port infrastructure along the Danube River. A grain hangar was destroyed, and tanks used for storing other cargo were damaged in the attack. The Danube delta region, shared by Romania and Ukraine, serves as a crucial export route for Ukrainian grain, making the situation a critical factor in the ongoing conflict.
Notably, tensions over grain have been escalating, with the European Union allowing Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania to restrict grain imports from Ukraine through September. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly opposed any extension of the restrictions, labeling such a move as “unacceptable” to protect local farmers who fear being undercut.
Tragically, amidst the ongoing conflict, a child lost their life, and six others were injured in a Russian strike on the city of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, as reported by the region’s governor.
A separate incident involved an AFP video journalist, Dylan Collins, who sustained multiple shrapnel injuries in a drone attack while reporting from a Ukrainian artillery position. He was swiftly evacuated to a nearby hospital, where doctors confirmed that his condition was not life-threatening.
Despite the challenges, Kyiv declared that it recaptured over 16 square kilometers of territory from Russian forces last week in the east and south, marking significant progress in its anticipated counteroffensive, which has been closely watched by the international community.
In the midst of the ongoing conflict, a Russian strike on Odesa resulted in the loss of two lives and severe damage to a historic cathedral. The Transfiguration Cathedral, once demolished by Stalin in 1936 and later rebuilt in the 1990s after the Soviet Union’s collapse, saw clergymen rescuing precious icons from the rubble.
The Ukrainian government condemned the cathedral strike as a “war crime,” stressing that it had been “destroyed twice: by Stalin and Putin.” In response, the Kremlin blamed Ukraine’s air defense systems for the damage.
The prolonged conflict has also drawn the involvement of neighboring states, with Belarus, a staunch Russian ally, announcing its review of security arrangements with members of Russia’s Wagner mercenaries after their failed uprising back home. Interior Minister Ivan Kubrakov held discussions with Wagner commanders at a training center to formulate a “clear plan of action” in response to the situation. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has been hosting the fighters, facilitating a deal that persuaded their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to end a June march on Moscow and seek exile in Belarus.
