Drones Rain Down On Moscow As The Russia-Ukraine War Reaches Dangerous New Ground

Ukraine didn’t waste any time taking action on the warning it issued Monday to Russia, according to President Vladimir Putin, after Ukraine’s General Kyrylo Budanov stated Putin “will regret it very soon.”

Drones rained down on Moscow Tuesday, the day following a rare daytime strike against Kyiv on Monday and another night of bombardment against the Ukrainian capital and other populated areas in the country early Tuesday. The news suggests the war may be entering a new and heightened phase.

Although Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak denied Ukraine’s direct involvement in the attack against civilians in the Russian capital, he said he viewed the strike “with enjoyment,” according to Reuters.

Initial reports suggest between eight and 25 drones attacked Moscow, in what Putin referred to as a “terrorist attack” that was carried out by "the Kyiv regime," according to the outlet. Russia’s defense ministry said it shot down all the drones using its anti-aircraft systems and the country’s Investigative Committee said some buildings had sustained damage and two civilians sought medical assistance following the attack.

Putin, who was working at the Kremin during the strike and was briefed on the attack, commented on state television that Ukraine was attempting to provoke Moscow by carrying out an assault against its civilians.

The Response: The State Department and the National Security Council said the U.S. doesn’t support strikes inside Russia but noted Kyiv had sustained an onslaught of 17 strikes so far in May, according to the New York Times. Although the U.S. hasn’t confirmed whether it believed Ukraine was responsible for the most recent attack on Moscow, officials thought Kyiv was responsible for the drone attack carried out near the Kremlin earlier this month.

British foreign minister James Cleverly said that Ukraine has “the right to project force beyond its borders” to undermine Putin and Ukraine targetting Moscow is “internationally recognized as being legitimate as part of a nation’s self-defense,” according to the publication.

On Russian state media, news presenter Vladimir Solovyov called for "much more brutal strikes" against Ukraine in retaliation for Tuesday’s drone attack, according to Reuters.

The call for action comes amid an illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which has been ongoing for over 15 months and destroyed cities, killed and injured tens of thousands of Ukrainians and displaced millions more.

Read Next: Canada Urges Citizens To Prepare For Active Shooter Situations When Visiting US

Photo: Example of Ukraine drone, Shutterstock