Luxury Moscow tower reportedly hit by Ukrainian drone strike ahead of Kremlin's Victory Day Parade
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukrainian forces launched a drone attack on Moscow overnight on May 4, reportedly hitting a high-rise residential complex in the Russian capital, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
The alleged attack, a rare hit inside Moscow's urban area, comes amid Kyiv's escalating deep strike campaign deep inside Russia, and less than a week ahead of the May 9 Victory Day Parade, the most high-profile display of Russian power in the calendar.
Videos posted on social media appear to show drone flying at a low altitude towards Moscow just before 1 a.m. local time. Residents reported hearing loud explosions in the capital soon after.
Photos appear to show damage to the upper floor of a high-rise apartment building in the city, reportedly the Mosfilm Tower, a luxury building located west of the city's center. Drone debris was also seen scattered in the street below as emergency crews work on-scene.
The attack appears to mark one of the deepest strikes into central Moscow's residential core, having occurred approximately seven kilometers west of the Kremlin and the city's central Red Square and three kilometers from the Russian Defense Ministry building. The Mosfilm Tower is situated in an elite neighborhood within the city, close to nearby embassies and diplomatic residences.
Russia has previously reported multiple drone strikes against Moscow, though the capital is well-defended against aerial threats. Rarely has the Russian capital sustained damage to civilian infrastructure despite an increase in Ukrainian attacks over the last several months.
In a post to social media, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed the attack, claiming that no casualties had been sustained in the attack.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports nor claims made by Russian officials.
Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack, and the extent of the damage caused was not immediately clear. Sobyanin later claimed that two more drones headed toward Moscow were downed by Russian air defense.
Ukraine regularly launches drone attacks against military and industrial facilities in Russia.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on April 28 that the parade will not display military equipment, marking a notable shift for an event where military hardware is ordinarily put on full display. The celebrations emphasize the Soviet Union's role in the victory, and the Kremlin uses the event to showcase its military might and reinforce official narratives around the war in Ukraine.
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