Explosions rock Moscow, drone claimed downed, Vnukovo airport closed — video

Explosions jolted the residents of Moscow and its suburbs in the early hours of Aug. 18 as the Moskva-City complex, a financial district adorned with skyscrapers in the western part of the Russian capital, was once again damaged by what appears to be a drone attack.

News channels on Russian Telegram reported on the explosion at Moskva-City, and videos of the attack and its aftermath began circulating on social media.

Read also: Moscow airports in chaos after multiple reports of drone attacks

The airspace above Moscow's Vnukovo Airport was closed, according to a report from the Kremlin-controlled TASS state news agency. The Kovyor (“Carpet” in Russian) security protocol was initiated to address an unidentified flying object.

Visual evidence of the damage to the Moskva-City complex was presented in a video posted by the Mash Telegram Channel.

Another video captures the moment of the explosion from a vantage point overlooking the financial district, a massive fireball suddenly erupts, accompanied by a deafening explosion, and a mushroom cloud forms over the Moscow Expocenter.

A subsequent video showcases the extent of the damage to the expo building. Baza reported an approximate 30-square-meter area impacted. They also shared a video featuring the sound of a drone flying over Moskva-City.

Russia's Defense Ministry asserted that an attack by a Ukrainian drone targeted sites in Moscow. They reported that the drone was intercepted and crashed near the Krasnopresnenskaya embankment.

Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that air defenses intercepted a drone that was approaching the capital, and its wreckage fell near Moscow's expo building.

Read also: Electricity substation on fire in Russia’s Kaluga, drones downed over Kursk Oblast

Various Telegram channels mentioned that explosions were also heard in Odintsovo and Krasnogorsk, located in Moscow Oblast.

The Shot Telegram channel uploaded a video from a tower within the Moskva-City complex, where individuals heard the drone and discussed its impact location.

The Ateo Breaking channel released a video capturing the damage, recorded by a resident of Moscow.

The overnight drone attack on Moscow on August 18 is the most recent in a series of such attacks on the Russian capital. Russia attributes these attacks to Ukraine, asserting that it usually shoots down or disrupts attacking drones using electronic means.

Ukraine typically denies responsibility for such attacks, although some of the drones are known to be of Ukrainian origin.

In a prior incident in the same district of the Russian capital on July 30, a drone collided with the IQ tower within Moskva-City, resulting in damage to an office of the Russian Ministry of Digital Development situated in the building.

Read also: Damaged plant near Moscow was developing next-generation bomber aircraft – report

Moscow faced another drone attack overnight on August 1. The same tower within the city's financial district suffered damage again, as reported by Sobyanin.

Flight restrictions were imposed on August 11 at Vnukovo airport due to a drone flying over Moscow that triggered an explosion, either by self-detonation or being shot down. This incident led to numerous flight delays.

Sobyanin mentioned that the drone was downed over the western part of Moscow, with its debris landing in the vicinity of the Karamyshevskaya embankment.

Moscow's air defense downed two drones heading towards the capital in the early hours of August 10, as claimed by Sobyanin. One of these drones was reportedly shot down in Kaluga Oblast, while the other was downed over Moscow's Central Ring.

Read also: Satellite imagery contradicts Moscow's ‘pyrotechnics’ explanation for Sergiyev Posad explosion

Subsequent to this incident, flight restrictions were enforced at two of Moscow's airports—Vnukovo and Domodedovo. Explosions were also reportedly heard near the settlement of Domodedovo.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine