Firefighters stand next to a damaged building after a reported drone attack in Moscow, Russia, Aug 1, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
MOSCOW – Ukraine launched an attack on Moscow and the Moscow region with three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with two of them shot down and the third having crashed after being jammed by electronic warfare, said Russian authorities on Tuesday.
ALSO READ: Russia: Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow region repelled
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the attempt was foiled by air defense systems that destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs over the Odintsovo and Naro-Fominsky districts of the Moscow region.
One more drone, affected by electronic warfare, had lost control and crashed into the non-residential Moscow-City building complex, said the ministry
One more drone, affected by electronic warfare, had lost control and crashed into the non-residential Moscow-City building complex, said the ministry.
READ MORE: Ukraine drone attack on Moscow thwarted
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed on his Telegram channel that several drones had been shot down by air defense systems while attempting to fly into Moscow.
READ MORE: Ukrainian drone attack intercepted, Russia says
Emergency services were working at the scene, he added.Emergency services confirmed that Vnukovo airport, previously closed due to the attack, has now resumed normal operations.
Separately, at least six people were killed and 75 others injured Monday in Russia's missile strikes on the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine, said Ukrainian authorities.
Emergency services work at a scene after a missile hit an apartment building in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, July 31, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
The missiles hit a nine-story apartment block and an educational institution, severely damaging them, said the Dnipropetrovsk Civil-Military Administration in a statement.
The injured were suffering from lacerations, cut wounds, fractures and mine-explosive injuries, it said.
According to the statement, 22 people were hospitalized following the attacks, with two of them in severe condition.
More than 350 people were involved in the rescue operation, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense said Monday it has awarded a 17-month extension of contract to a subsidiary of General Dynamics, the fifth largest US defense contractor, allowing it to continue providing maintenance for the Abrams tanks, including those destined for Ukraine.
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According to a press release from the Pentagon, the extension was worth nearly $34 million and was granted to General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), which specializes in designing and manufacturing tanks and other armored fighting vehicles for the military.
Among the vehicles are the Abrams main battle tanks, a third-generation American main battle tank.
Work on providing technical support to the Abrams system will be performed in Sterling Heights, the US state of Michigan, where the GDLS is headquartered, the release said, adding that the work is estimated to be completed no later than Dec 31, 2024.
The US Army Contracting Command based in Detroit Arsenal in Michigan will oversee the support program, the release added.