Ukraine’s attack on Moscow is another sign the war is not so distant anymore for Russians

It is becoming increasingly difficult for officials in the Kremlin to portray the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year, as something so distant that it does not affect the daily routines of Russian civilians.

From frustrating internet blackouts to this month’s scaled-back Victory Day parade to the weekend’s massive airstrike Moscow region Russia’s full-scale war, which left three people dead, no longer seems like a distant conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy He considered the attack in the suburbs of Moscow a just revenge on the cruel and deadly Russian missile and drone attacks Last week in the capital of Kiev and other cities.

All of these attacks come just days after President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump said the war in Ukraine was nearing its end.

One of Ukraine’s biggest attacks ever

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Sunday that its air defense shot down 1,054 Ukrainian drones in the last 24 hours; This is one of the largest figures reported by the military. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 81 drones were shot down by the capital’s air defense from late Saturday to Sunday.

Three people were killed, 12 were injured, several apartment buildings were damaged and many private houses were destroyed in the attacks near the Russian capital.

Sobyanin said a drone crashed into a refinery property in Moscow but did not stop production. Another hit an oil tank at a storage facility, causing a fire that blanketed the area with black smoke.

Many airports in Moscow suspended operations as dozens of flights were delayed or diverted. A Ukrainian drone crashed at the capital’s Sheremetyevo airport but did not cause any damage, officials said.

Ukraine’s growing drone arsenal

Ukraine’s ability to penetrate Moscow’s dense air defenses reflects its advanced tactics as well as an increase in the number of unmanned aerial vehicles. Kiev has steadily increased drone attacks, focusing on energy facilities and weapons factories, but the capital presented a more challenging target.

“The Moscow region is the most heavily saturated with Russian air defense systems,” Zelenskyy said in his address to the nation, adding: “Our long-range capabilities are significantly changing the situation and, more broadly, the world’s perception of Russia’s war.”

The attack on Moscow over the weekend “caused Russia to prolong the war and attacks on our cities and communities.” Zelenskyy said:

“We say clearly to the Russians: Their state must end the war,” he said in his social media post.

Last week’s deadliest attack In Ukraine, 24 people died when a Russian missile destroyed a nine-storey apartment building in Kiev.

A scaled-down Victory Day

The attacks took place shortly after US-brokered three-day ceasefire This failed to end the conflict, but it did lead to a pause in long-range attacks, allowing Moscow to hold an annual meeting. 9 May military parade Commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Concerns about long-range Ukrainian drone strikes led Russian officials to scale back the parade. Unlike previous years, no tanks, missiles or other equipment roamed Red Square.

After the parade, Putin said the war in Ukraine was nearing its end, but did not explain that statement or offer any timetable. He has insisted on maximalist demands for an end to the war, including that Ukraine withdraw its troops from four regions that Moscow annexed but never fully captured. Kyiv rejected the request.

Trump also claimed last week that the end of the war was “very near”, but the war in Iran has been effectively suspended since the beginning, although US mediation efforts to end the conflict have failed to make significant progress.

Domestic discontent is growing in Russia

The Moscow attacks took place at just such a time. tensions are rising Due to the rising cost of war and increasingly restrictive government policies, Russia It damaged Putin’s traditionally high popularity.

Some military bloggers and social media influencers loyal to the Kremlin have begun to openly question some government policies.

The authorities’ move to restrict mobile phone internet and block popular messaging apps has triggered public outrage, causing huge losses to businesses and disruption to the daily lives of millions of Russians.

The government defended its action by citing the need to thwart attacks by Ukrainian drones, some of which use mobile internet for targeting. Critics decry the shutdowns as the latest move by authorities to tighten control over the internet.

Growing frustration with the restrictions led the public to petition the presidential administration and attempt to organize protests, which were quickly thwarted.

Putin begins a two-day meeting on Tuesday as tensions rise. Visit China.

Controlling the message and threatening retaliation

State TV channels tried to downplay the Moscow attacks, which appeared only briefly in some news reports. Instead, they focused on last week’s successful test of a new intercontinental ballistic missile intended to be a key part of Russia’s nuclear forces.

Some war bloggers said the weekend attack exposed weak points in air defenses that needed to be fixed quickly. Some have called on the Kremlin to step up attacks against Ukraine and target its government.

“It’s time to hit the decision-making centers,” wrote Alexander Kots in the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

Pro-Kremlin political commentator Sergei Markov wrote that he woke up to the sounds of explosions over the weekend as air defenses opened fire on attacking UAVs. He accused Kiev’s allies of helping Ukraine increase its drone production and claimed that “it was Europe trying to hit Moscow.”

“Such initiatives will continue as long as Europe believes it is safe,” Markov said.

Russian hawks have long called on the Kremlin to respond to increased Ukrainian attacks by striking Kiev’s allies in Europe.

Last month, the Ministry of Defense published a list of factories in Europe producing unmanned aerial vehicles and their components for Ukraine. He warned that attacks on Russia involving drones produced in Europe were fraught with “unforeseen consequences.”

Asked by a state television commentator on Sunday why Moscow tolerates such “biting,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the purpose of its nuclear deterrent is to ward off threats to Russia’s existence.

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