Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt Moscow airports and damage high-rise ahead of scaled-back Victory Day parade

A Ukrainian drone successfully struck an upmarket residential high-rise in south-west Moscow during the early hours of Monday, resulting in visible damage to the building's façade but no casualties. This incident occurred as part of a broader series of attacks on the Russian capital, during which two other drones were intercepted. The strikes took place just days before a scaled-back 9 May military parade scheduled near the Kremlin.

In response to the threat, Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports suspended operations overnight as a precautionary measure. Russian authorities confirmed that a total of 117 drones were intercepted across several regions between Sunday and Monday. Of these, sixty were aimed at the St Petersburg region, an attack described by regional governor Aleksandr Drodzhenko as "massive".

The residential building hit is located in an upscale neighbourhood less than 10km from the Kremlin and Red Square, where the parade is scheduled. While drone alerts regularly disrupt airports and aerial traffic, successful strikes so close to the city centre are relatively rare due to the Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile system protecting much of the capital.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed the Kremlin's decision to scale back the Victory Day parade to fears of further drone incursions over Red Square. Consequently, the grand military parade will proceed without armoured vehicles or missile systems for the first time since 2008, a move the Kremlin justified citing a "terrorist threat" from Ukraine.

Concurrent with the drone campaign, Ukrainian forces reported strikes on Russian naval assets and energy infrastructure. On Sunday, Zelensky stated that three Russian oil tankers, a cruise-missile carrier warship, and a patrol boat were struck in separate attacks on two Russian ports. Ukraine has developed an arsenal of long-range drones capable of hitting targets hundreds of miles from its borders, often targeting energy infrastructure to slash Russian oil production and revenue.

On Monday, Ukrainian authorities confirmed that four people were killed and 18 were injured in a missile strike near Kharkiv, close to the border with Russia. Meanwhile, several local phone operators announced restrictions on mobile internet in Moscow for much of the week ahead for security reasons, further tightening the operational environment in the capital.