Live: Russia downs three Ukrainian drones over Moscow, defence ministry says

Issued on: 30/07/2023 – 07:32Modified: 30/07/2023 – 07:39

2 min

7:16am: Russia downs three Ukrainian drones over Moscow

Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow early on Sunday, damaging buildings and temporarily suspending flights at Vnukovo airport, TASS news agency said, citing officials.

Russia’s defence ministry said one drone was destroyed in the air over the Odintsovo district and two others crashed in Moscow, according to TASS.

One person was injured as a result of a blast in a building, TASS said, citing emergency services. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin earlier said that there were “no vicitms or injued” in the attack in a post on Telegram.

Sobyanin said the facades of two office buildings had been slightly damaged, TASS reported.

Ukraine’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

7:00am: At least one person killed in Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s Sumy

At least one civilian was killed Saturday evening in a Russian missile attack on the northeast Ukrainian city of Sumy, said national police, adding that there were five injured in the strike on an education centre.

“On the evening of July 29, an enemy missile hit an educational institution. Law enforcement officers are working at the scene, recording the effects,” the force posted on Telegram, putting the initial toll at “at least one civilian dead and five injured”.

“Police, rescue workers and medics are on the scene”, it added.

According to public broadcaster Suspilne, the building was destroyed in an explosion at about 8pm (1700 GMT).

In early July, a Russian drone attack hit an apartment building in the same city, killing three and wounding 21.

Key developments from Saturday, July 30:

A Russian air strike killed two people in the city of Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine on Saturday, local authorities said.

“An enemy missile hit an open area. Unfortunately, a man and a woman were killed,” said city council official Anatoly Kurtev.

“The shock wave shattered the windows of a very tall building, and damaged an education centre and a supermarket,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Saturday visited what he said were “advanced positions” of Ukraine’s special forces near the eastern city of Bakhmut.

“The Bakhmut direction, advanced positions of the Special Operations Forces,” Zelensky said on messaging app Telegram, adding he arrived to congratulate Ukraine’s “warriors on their professional day, to honour their strength”.

Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)