Videos Show Massive Explosion in Moscow After Reported Drone Attack

Dramatic new footage circulating online appears to show an explosion in Moscow after the Kremlin accused Ukraine of a new drone attack on the capital.

Russia's Defense Ministry said in a post to Telegram early on Sunday that Moscow was attacked with three Ukrainian drones, in what is the latest in a series of drone strikes the Kremlin has blamed on Kyiv.

One drone was shot down by air defense systems in western Moscow, the ministry said, with two further unmanned aerial vehicles suppressed by electronic weaponry.

These drones "lost control" and crashed into a non-residential building, the Russian government said. The buildings of two office towers were "slightly damaged," Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin said.

In one clip, posted by Russian news channel, Baza, an orange flash is caught on the dashboard camera of a vehicle that appears to be in the area of the explosion at around 4 a.m. local time. In another video circulating on social media, a fireball erupts with the sound of an explosion, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.

Newsweek could not independently verify the video footage.

Russia's state-backed Tass news agency, citing emergency officials, reported that a security guard had been injured. The drones had briefly shut down one of Moscow's main airports and delayed more than 20 flights, according to the report. Russian President Vladimir Putin was "of course" informed of the incident, Kremlin press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told Tass.

Ukrainian officials have not publicly commented, but typically refrain from doing so on alleged attacks within Russian territory, which is a contentious topic for Kyiv's allies.

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for comment via email on Sunday.

The alleged attack coincided with what Russia said was a 25-drone assault on the annexed Crimean peninsula. A total of 15 drones were destroyed by air defenses and nine were intercepted using electronic weaponry, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday morning.

Moscow has pointed the finger at Kyiv for a series of drone strikes on the capital in recent months. On Friday, Sobyanin said another drone had been shot down over Moscow, just days after the capital's mayor said there had been strikes on two non-residential buildings.

Earlier this month, Russian officials said a number of drones had been shot down or intercepted through jamming over Moscow, halting flights to and from Vnukovo airport.

In early May, the Kremlin said Ukraine launched a "planned terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the president" carried out ahead of the annual Victory Day military celebrations. On May 30, Russia said eight drones targeted several areas in Moscow.

Update 07/30/23 at 6:15 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.