Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Sunday that the war was gradually returning to Russia after three Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow.
Attacks on Russian territory, according to Zelensky, were an “inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair process” of the fight between both countries.
Zelensky made the remarks after three Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow early Sunday. Russian Defence Ministry said the attack damaged two office high-rise buildings and caused the brief shutdown of an international airport.
⚡ Zelensky: It's natural, fair that war is returning to Russian territory.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 30, 2023
"Ukraine is becoming stronger. The war is gradually returning to Russian territory – to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair process,"… pic.twitter.com/vjjb502uUo
Zelensky Issues Warning
Zelensky stated in a video address from the western Ukrainian city of Ivano-Frankivsk on Sunday that Ukraine was becoming stronger. “Today is the 522nd day of the so-called ‘special military operation,’ which the Russian leadership expected to last for a week or two,” he said.
The Ukrainian President also warned of a possible Russian attack on energy infrastructure in the winter and said the country should be prepared to resist it. “We discussed with the communities the current state of preparation for all possible scenarios,” Zelensky claimed.
He also addressed the issue of necessitating urgent reconstruction, including the energy sector and multiple strategies for sustaining community existence. He noted that the regions of Odesa and the south, such as Kharkiv, should be prioritised.
The Ukrainian leader claimed that the “number one priority is defense, protection of the state and people.” He advised every local authority in the country to be “active” to complete all necessary tasks “before the cold months of the year.”
Zelensky indicated that the work on the Peace Formula, security guarantees for Ukraine until it joins NATO, and discussions with the US-led military alliance and the EU were presented to the communities as this helps people understand the country’s international policy, and where they can contribute.
#Russian officials report a drone attack on #Moscow. One of the towers of the Moscow City complex was damaged. pic.twitter.com/g6yKOkTOuC
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 30, 2023
Moscow Drone Attack
Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed early Sunday that it shot down three Ukrainian drones that attempted to hit Moscow, the second such attack in a week, damaging a high-rise building thought to house government offices.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that no one was injured and only minor damage was caused to the facades of two office buildings in the Moskva-Citi business region.
According to the Defence Ministry, two drones were brought down using radio-electronic equipment and crashed in the Moskva-Citi region. The report added that air defences shot down another drone in the air over the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region.
Separately, the Ministry claimed to have successfully repelled an overnight attack on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea by 25 Ukrainian drones, which were reportedly shot down or forced to crash.
According to Crimea’s leader, Sergey Aksyonov, no one suffered injuries in the incident, wherein an ammunition store in the Dzhankoysky area was attacked, and a private residence in the Kirovsky settlement was damaged in the attack.