Prigozhin furious at drone attack on Moscow’s ‘Beverly Hills’

The head of the Wagner Group has launched an expletive-laden tirade against the Russian defence ministry for not preventing the drone attack on a wealthy Moscow suburb on Tuesday morning.

In an audio message shared to Telegram on Tuesday, in which he directly addressed the defence ministry, Yevgeny Prigozhin said: “Why the f--- are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow? Who gives a s--- that they are flying to your homes on Rublyovka! Let your houses burn.

“And what should ordinary people do when drones with explosives crash into their windows?”

Mr Prigozhin’s Wagner Group of mercenaries have spearheaded the fighting in the front line city of Bakhmut, which fell to Russia earlier this month. Last week, he warned the Russian elites that they would face a revolution like those in 1917 unless they get serious about fighting in the war.

Several drones were reportedly shot down over Russia’s capital on Tuesday morning which appeared to target the city’s wealthier neighbourhoods and suburbs to the south-west. The country’s foreign ministry has said they reserve the right to take the “harshest possible measures” following the attack.

03:11 PM

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03:10 PM

Suspected Ukrainian drone attack appeared to target Moscow's wealthier neighbourhoods

The suspected Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday morning appeared to have targeted wealthier neighbourhoods and the suburbs dotted with official government residences and mansions of Russian tycoons, Nataliya Vasilyeva reports.

The wave of drone attacks this morning appears to have rolled from prestigious western suburbs to the Russian capital's neighbourhoods in the south-west. If coming from across the border in Ukraine, the drones would be flying in that direction.

Several drones were reportedly shot down near Rublyovskoye shosse, also known as Moscow's golden mile where Vladimir Putin has his official residence and where countless Russian tycoons and top government officials live.

At least three drones apparently evaded air defence and crossed the beltway separating the city from its sprawling suburbs, crashing in three different locations.

All of the locations are in upper-middle class neighbourhoods with no known military or industrial targets nearby.

02:53 PM

Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to 'frighten' Russians after Moscow drone attack

President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine was trying to “frighten” Russians following a drone attack targeted Moscow and the surrounding regions on Tuesday morning which has been blamed on Kyiv.

Mr Putin said: “We have spoken about hitting command centres (in Ukraine). In response, the Kyiv regime has chosen a different path, the path of trying to frighten Russia, frighten the citizens of Russia and of strikes on residential buildings.”

Mr Putin added that his forces had struck “the military intelligence headquarters of Ukraine” in the last few days, state news agency TASS reports.

02:17 PM

Russia reserves right to take 'harshest possible measures' following drone attack, says foreign ministry

The Russian foreign ministry said it reserved the right to take the most “harshest possible measures” in response to the drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday morning.

In a statement, the ministry said: “Assurances by NATO officials that the Kyiv regime will not launch strikes deep into Russian territory prove to be completely hypocritical.

“Russia reserves the right to take the harshest possible measures in response to the terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime.”

02:01 PM

EU pledges to double financial support to Moldova

The European Union is to double financial support to Moldova to a total of 295m euros (£255m), the Swedish presidency of the bloc has said.

Sweden’s finance minister, Elisabeth Svantesson, said in a statement: “Moldova can continue to count on the EU. We will continue to support Moldova, also financially. Given the current circumstances, it is appropriate that we double the funds which we make available to Moldova.”

Moldova is to hold a meeting of the European Political Community on June 1, as the EU seeks to curb pro-Russian sentiments in part of the former Soviet country.

Moldova, which borders Ukraine, has denounced Russia’s invasion and accused Moscow of trying to destabilise the administration of their current president Maia Sandu. Last week, large pro-EU rallies were held in Chisinau.

01:46 PM

Lavrov: Zelensky's peace plan would 'destroy everything Russian' in eastern Ukraine and Crimea

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the West of “supporting genocide” in Ukraine through its backing of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace plan.

Speaking on a trip to Africa on Tuesday, Mr Lavrov claimed that the plan would “destroy everything Russian” in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, without offering any evidence to support his claim.

He added in a press conference with his counterpart in Burundi: “The conclusion is very simple - the West directly supports genocide.”

01:30 PM

Pictured: Mayor of Kyiv addresses media in front of apartment block damaged by drones

01:10 PM

Almost 1.5 million Russian passports handed out in occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson

Almost 1.5 million people in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson have received Russian passports since October 2022, the Russian prime minister has claimed.

Mikhail Mishustin said on Tuesday that the passports had been handed out in the regions, which Russia claimed to have annexed last September. Russian forces do not fully control any of the regions and the annexations have not been recognised internationally.

Mr Mishustin said at a government meeting: "It is important that all their residents feel real changes taking place in cities and towns, see that streets and houses are gradually being restored."

12:48 PM

Ukraine's foreign minister calls for 'greater production and supply' of EU and NATO defence systems

Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has called for "greater production and supply of air defense systems and ammunition by EU and NATO partners" following the overnight barrage on Kyiv and the surrounding region.

Mr Kuleba wrote on Twitter: "There can be only one response to each Russian attack aimed to deplete Ukrainian air defense."

12:31 PM

Leading opposition party takes legal action to force government to arrest Putin if he 'sets foot' in South Africa

The leading opposition party in South Africa said that it has taken legal action to force the government to arrest Vladimir Putin if he were to attend the BRICS summit planned to take place in the country.

The Democratic Alliance party said it launched a court application to ensure the government details the Russian president and hands him over to the ICC, who have issued an arrest warrant against him, “should he set foot in South Africa”.
Shadow minister of justice Glynnis Breytenbach said in a statement: “This pre-emptory court action aims to ensure that South Africa upholds its obligations.”

The legal action comes as the government granted diplomatic immunity to officials attending a BRICS foreign ministers meeting this week and the group's heads of state summit in August, which some have read as a preparatory step to provide legal cover for Mr Putin’s visit. Pretoria has denied the allegations, with the foreign affairs department saying in a statement: "These immunities do not override any warrant that may have been issued by any international tribunal against any attendee of the conference."

12:12 PM

West is stepping up weapons supplies to Ukraine, says Russia's defence minister

Russia’s Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, said that Western countries were stepping up supplies of weapons and equipment to Ukraine ahead of what he described as a “large-scale offensive” by the country, Russian news agencies have reported.

Mr Shoigu added that Russia was monitoring the routes of these supplies and would strike them if detected, according to reports.

11:57 AM

‘Like swimming against the current in sulphuric acid’: The battle to supply Ukraine with food

Like his counterparts at Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, Ukrainian supermarket boss Dmytro Tsygankov is keen to source produce from neighbourhood suppliers. Few “buy local” schemes, though, have been quite like the one his chain launched after the start of the Russian invasion last year, Colin Freeman reports. 

“We lost a lot of suppliers during the war, and two of our distribution centres were destroyed, so we struck up agreements with lots of little local producers – everything from grains and cereals to confectionary and cookies,” he says.

True, in the hurry, not all the new grocery offerings were guaranteed organic, nor were gluten-free and vegan options always available. The priority, Tsygankov says, was “just to get food on the shelves.” But it helps explain why of all the privations that Ukraine has suffered during the past 15 months of war, its supermarket shelves have generally remained remarkably well-stocked.

Read more on the battle to supply Ukraine with food here

11:43 AM

Wagner chief criticises Russian defence ministry after Moscow drone attack

The head of the Wagner Group has criticised the Russian Defence Ministry for letting drones reach Moscow on Tuesday morning, telling them “let your houses go up in flames!”

In an audio message uploaded to Telegram on Friday, following the drone attack on Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin said:

Mr Prigozhin has become increasingly outspoken against the Russian defence ministry and head of the armed forces as his mercenaries continue to fight in Ukraine.

11:24 AM

Watch: Russian missiles shot down over Kyiv

11:05 AM

Russia will take part in BRICS summit at 'proper level'

Russia will take part at the “proper level” in the BRICS summit in South Africa, the Kremlin has said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question as to whether President Vladimir Putin will be attending the summit, by saying that further details will be announced later on the matter. South Africa would theoretically be required to arrest the Russian President under an International Criminal Court warrant issued for suspected war crimes.

The BRICS nations comprise of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

10:47 AM

Putin is working in the Kremlin and has been briefed on Moscow attack, says spokesman

President Vladimir Putin is working in the Kremlin and has been briefed about the morning’s drone attacks on Moscow, Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman added that Russia’s air defences and the defence ministry worked well in dealing with the attack and that there were no plans for Mr Putin to comment.

Mr Peskov said that the attack was seen as a "response" to "effective strikes" on one of Ukriane's "decision-making centres" on Sunday, RIA Novosti reported.

10:34 AM

Zelensky aide: Drones 'protest' and 'refuse to attack Ukrainian civilians'

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that drones "refusing to attack Ukrainian civilians" are "returning with explosive protests to the authors of Russian 'air terror'", after Tuesday morning's drone attack on Moscow.

Mykhailo Podolyak has denied Ukrainian involvement in the incident during an interview on the "Breakfast Show" YouTube channel (see post at 09.31).

10:24 AM

Moscow's drone attack was 'predictable', say sources close to Putin administration

This morning’s drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region was “predictable” after drones struck the Kremlin earlier this month, two sources close to the Putin administration have told independent news outlet Meduza.

One source said: “Some things still manage to reach us, and in this case, that’s what happened.”

He added: “A lot will depend on the reaction of our top leadership — how they present it and so on. For now, the damage isn’t terrible.”

He described the effect of the attack so far as “mostly psychological”.

10:00 AM

Russian MP: Moscow drone attack 'new reality that needs to be recognised'

A member of the Russian parliament has said that the alleged drone attack on Moscow “is a new reality that needs to be recognised”.

Alexander Khinstein, a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, wrote on Telegram on Tuesday: “Undoubtedly, sabotage and terrorist attacks from Ukraine will only grow. And it is necessary to radically increase defence and security measures, including countering drones.”

09:31 AM

Zelensky aide denies Ukrainian involvement in Moscow drone attack but says Ukraine 'pleased to watch'

A presidential aide to Volodymyr Zelensky denied Kyiv’s involvement in a drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday, but said that Ukraine was enjoying watching the events unfold and predicted an increase in the number of such attacks.

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Head of the Office of President of Ukraine, told the “Breakfast Show” YouTube channel: “Regarding the attacks: of course we are pleased to watch and predict an increase in the number of attacks. But of course we have nothing directly to do with this.”

09:19 AM

Two Moscow buildings hit by drones were in affluent south-western part of city

Two residential buildings in the affluent south-western part of Moscow were hit by drones on Tuesday morning, one of which is located close to a popular park.

Residents told state news agency RIA Novosti that a drone had entered an apartment on the 14th floor but did not explode. One resident told the outlet: “There was no blast. The police came and knocked on the door and asked all people to leave.”

08:52 AM

In pictures: Drone attacks in Kyiv

08:35 AM

One dead and nine injured in Kyiv following latest Russian barrage

A 33-year-old woman was killed and nine people wounded in Kyiv following the latest overnight strike on the capital, the Ukrainian National Police said.

In a statement shared to Telegram, Ivan Vihivsky, of the Ukraine National Police, said that a further four citizens were injured in the surrounding Kyiv region.

A total of 16 objects, including cars and residential buildings, were damaged.

08:25 AM

Why F-16s are no quick fix for Ukraine

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has spent months pleading for donations of F-16 jets, declaring their “historic” delivery would “greatly enhance” Ukraine's forces, Ben Farmer writes. 

The Kremlin has meanwhile condemned the proposal as a colossal risk and said countries supplying jets or training, including Britain, are “playing with fire”.

Like Himars rocket launchers, Leopard tanks and Patriot missiles before them, the F-16s have become totemic symbols of Western support, which the Ukrainians say will provide a powerful boost to repelling Russian forces.

Read more on this story here

08:01 AM

Ukraine says it downed 29 of 31 Russian drones overnight

Ukraine has said that it downed 29 out of 31 drones, mainly over Kyiv and the Kyiv region, in the third Russian barrage over the capital in 24 hours.

In a post on social media, Ukraine’s air force said that “between 11:30 pm and 4:30 am, Russian occupation troops attacked Ukraine" with 31 Shahed-136/131 drones, with 29 downed "almost all of them near the capital and in the Kyiv skies.”

07:47 AM

Russia's defence ministry accuses Ukraine of 'terrorist attack' on Moscow

Russia's defence ministry said that Ukraine targeted Moscow with a total of eight drones, but that all the drones involved in the incident on Tuesday were downed.

The defence ministry said: "This morning, the Kyiv regime launched a terrorist drone attack on targets in the city of Moscow. Eight drones were used in the attack. All of the enemy drones were downed"

It added: "Three of them were suppressed by electronic warfare, lost control and deviated from their intended targets. Another five drones were shot down by the Pantsir-S surface-to-air missile system in the Moscow region."

Images posted on social media showed traces of smoke in the sky over the city.

07:41 AM

Latest MoD update: 'Elevated' military spending 'puts pressure on Russian government finances'

07:34 AM

Pictured: Drone reportedly flying towards Moscow

The Telegram channel Baza, which has links to Russia's security services, has shared footage from a resident in the outskirts of Moscow of a drone reportedly flying towards the city on Tuesday morning.

07:21 AM

None hospitalised following reported Moscow drone attack, says mayor

The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, has said that two people sought medical assistance but none were hospitalised following a suspected drone attack on Russia's capital.

Mr Sobyanin wrote on Telegram on Tuesday morning: “According to information from the city’s medical services, at the moment none of the residents of the homes damaged by UAVs have been seriously hurt. Two people sought medical assistance.

"No one needed hospitalisation, the necessary help was provided on site. Also, emergency services and ambulance crews continue to work at the incident sites.”

07:14 AM

Pictured: Damaged apartment block following reported Moscow drone attack

06:50 AM

Residents in Moscow heard explosions

Moscow residents reported hearing explosions as Russia's capital came under attack at dawn.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed the residents of two buildings damaged in the attack were evacuated.

There was no immediate comment on the attacks from Ukrainian officials.

It was the second reported attack on Moscow, after authorities said two drones targeted the Kremlin earlier this month in what was described as an attempt on President Vladimir Putin's life.

06:45 AM

Ukraine: All Russian missiles shot down

Ukrainian authorities confirmed that air defences had downed all the Russian missiles launched against the Kyiv region.

One injured man was hospitalised.

"A total of 11 missiles were fired: 'Iskander-M' and 'Iskander-K' from a northerly direction," Ukraine's armed forces chief Valery Zaluzhny said.

"All the targets were destroyed by air defences."

05:48 AM

Drones hit Moscow buildings, says mayor

Drones struck several buildings in Moscow causing "minor" damage and no serious injuries, the mayor of Moscow said early on Tuesday.

"All emergency services of the city are at the scene of incidents," Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a statement.

Russia's RIA state news agency reported that some residents of a building on Moscow's Profsoyuznaya Street in the city's south were being evacuated.

Meanwhile, several of Russia's Telegram messaging channels reported that four to 10 drones were shot early on Tuesday.

However, these reports have not been independently verified.

05:44 AM

In pictures: Destruction as Russia's drone strikes hit buildings

05:16 AM

Russia strikes Kyiv in pre-dawn attack

Photos from Kyiv officials and witnesses showed flames engulfing the top floors of the building and smoke rising from the roof.

Russia has repeatedly attacked the Ukrainian capital in May using a combination of drones and missiles, mostly at night, in an apparent attempt to undermine Ukrainians' will to fight after more than 15 months of war.

Tuesday's strikes were Russia's 17th air assault on the capital this month and came after the city was attacked twice on Monday, including an unusual daytime strike.

05:10 AM

Welcome to today's live blog

Ukraine's air defences are working to stop a relentless wave of drone attacks targeting Kyiv after Russia launched a pre-dawn assault on the capital.

We will bring you the latest news from the invasion as it happens today.