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Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of seeking to “terrorize” the Russians after an unprecedented attack on Tuesday with marches on Moscow and its environs, while Kiev was targeted with a new wave of bloody strikes.
Several marches fell at dawn on buildings in the Russian capital, located more than 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, shocking residents who believed that the conflict was taking place in areas far from them.
“We were all asleep, it was four o’clock in the morning, then there were two explosions and the sirens sounded in all the cars” in the street, said Maxim, a 40-year-old customs employee who lives near a damaged building in southwest Moscow.
“I used to think that all these things are very far away, and not related to us. Then suddenly it happened near our house,” said Tatiana Kalinina, a pensioner who lives in another area of the capital that was affected by the downing of a drone.
And Russia announced that it had monitored eight Ukrainian drones in and around Moscow, confirming that they had all been shot down. Part of its wreckage fell on buildings, injuring two people with minor injuries, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
“Terrorize” the Russians
While Ukraine denied its involvement in the operation, Putin accused it of seeking to “terrify Russia and terrorize Russian citizens,” considering that the air defense system in Moscow that intercepted the drones “worked normally and satisfactorily.”
Putin confirmed that the attack came in response to a Russian strike targeting the headquarters of the Ukrainian military intelligence.
In addition, the Russian Foreign Ministry considered that Western countries were responsible for the “irresponsible” attack on Moscow, through their support for Kiev.
For its part, the United States reiterated its principled position on Tuesday, stressing that it does not support carrying out attacks inside Russia. “In general, we do not support carrying out attacks inside Russia. We are focused on providing Ukraine with the equipment and training it needs to restore sovereignty on its territory,” a State Department spokesman said.