May 30, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko highlighted the importance of Ukraine’s modern air defense systems, stressing that without them, there would have been greater damage caused by Tuesday’s drone attacks on the capital.

Speaking to CNN’s Fred Pleitgen outside a damaged apartment building in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district on Tuesday, Klitschko said he wanted to thank Ukraine’s partners for sending “critically important” air defense systems. 

Ukraine’s Air Force said earlier on Tuesday that it managed to shoot down 29 out of 31 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia. 

Klitschko stressed to CNN that if Ukraine “didn’t have modern air defense from our partners,” the situation would be “much worse” with more damaged buildings and civilian deaths.  

He addressed the recent uptick in attacks, saying that in May there have been more attacks not just on Kyiv but also in other cities throughout Ukraine. 

Klitschko accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of trying to bring a “depressing mood” to Ukraine with this latest attack, stressing that despite this, Ukrainians remain ready as ever to defend their homeland. 

Watch more:

Western countries are sending more supplies of weapons and equipment to Ukraine, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.

“Deliveries of equipment and weapons to Ukraine are increasing. We monitor the volumes and routes of supply and, if identified, strike,” Shoigu told a military conference call Tuesday.

Shoigu also claimed Russian forces have intercepted 29 Storm Shadow long-range missiles – supplied to Ukraine by Britain – this month. Ukraine has so far not commented on this.

In recent days, Russia has destroyed large arms depots in Ukraine’s Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil and Mykolaiv regions, Shoigu added. Ukraine said Monday that Russia had attacked warehouses, including a military facility, in the western Khmelnytskyi region overnight. It is rare for Ukraine to publicize attacks on military facilities. 

CNN is unable to independently verify these battlefield claims.

Additionally, the minister claimed that Russia struck a Patriot anti-aircraft missile system in Kyiv in recent days, but he did not specify when.

On May 16, the Russian Defense Ministry had said that one of its Kinzhal missiles had hit a US-made Patriot system in Kyiv during strikes that morning. The Pentagon later confirmed that one Patriot missile battery that was given to Ukraine was damaged by a Russian missile barrage against Kyiv, but that the system has since been fixed. The Patriot is an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system.

Ukraine has received at least two Patriot systems, one from the United States and one from Germany, to enhance its air defenses.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for a drone attack on Moscow early Tuesday which injured two people and damaged several buildings, although Kyiv has denied any direct involvement.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has asked allies for more air defense systems following another Russian bombardment of Kyiv.

Here are the latest headlines:

Residents who were evacuated from Moscow apartment buildings hit by drones early Tuesday are returning to their homes, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

Emergency services have completed necessary works as part of the investigation into the drone attack that resulted in damage to the buildings, he said in a Telegram post. 

"Those residents who were evacuated to allow the special services to operate uninterruptedly at the scene are now starting to return to their homes," Sobyanin said. 

Sobyanin also said that residents of the building on Leninsky Prospekt (Lenin Avenue) will be the first to return to their apartments, adding that he has instructed specialized teams to repair the damage "as soon as possible." 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there is currently “no threat” to Moscow’s residents following a drone attack on the capital on Tuesday.

“Thank God, there are no casualties and at present there is no threat to the residents of Moscow and the Moscow region,” Peskov said.

Peskov added there are no plans for Putin to make an address on the attack.

Asked if additional security measures were needed to prevent such attacks, he said: “I cannot comment on issues of the security of the capital. I can only repeat that the Ministry of Defense worked well, the air defense worked well.”

Two people were injured and buildings were damaged by the attack, according to Russian state media.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has called for more air defense systems following a third night of attacks on Kyiv. 

“There can be only one response to each Russian attack aimed to deplete Ukrainian air defense: greater production and supply of air defense systems and ammunition by EU and NATO partners,” Kuleba said.

One person was killed and at least three others were injured as a result of explosions in Kyiv early Tuesday as the city's air defenses intercepted 20 drones, the Ukrainian military said.

It marks the 17th aerial attack on Kyiv this month, with the Russians varying their assaults with missiles, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, according to Ukrainian officials.

The drone attacks Tuesday come after Moscow's forces launched an unusual daytime missile attack on Kyiv Monday that Ukraine's military said signified a change in Russian tactics.

Moscow Prosecutor's Office warned Tuesday that those who deliberately spread false information following the drone attack in the Russian capital may be held criminally liable. 

It warned that those responsible "for public dissemination under the guise of reliable, knowingly false socially significant information, including about circumstances that pose a threat to the life and safety of citizens" will be subject to administrative and criminal liability.

"In this regard, we recommend that representatives of the media and the blogosphere refrain from disseminating false information, including about incidents in Moscow, when preparing messages and statements," reads the statement.

"Please be guided by official sources of information or contact the relevant departments for official comments," it says.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private military company Wagner, has launched an expletive-laden tirade at the Russian Ministry of Defense following a drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday.

Prigozhin said in an audio recording on his Telegram channel that he was aware of and concerned about the drone attack. 

“As a person who understands this somewhat, I can tell you that many years ago it was necessary to deal with these [drone] programs -- that we are now years behind our opponents, years, maybe decades," he said in response to a question from a journalist.

The mercenary boss — who has been engaged in a bitter public feud with Russia's military leadership — said the Russian Ministry of Defense is doing “absolutely nothing at all” to catch up with developments in drone technology.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had met with officials at the Kremlin following the attack.

Putin's "working day started very early" and "he received information directly from law enforcement agencies, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the mayor of Moscow and the governor of the Moscow region".

"Everyone worked properly. The air defense system also worked well. Clearly, we are talking here about the Kyiv regime's response to our very effective strikes on one of the decision-making centers. The Sunday strike," Peskov said.

Peskov said he could not comment on where the drones were launched from and who the target was.

"The only thing [I can say] is that it was obviously an attack of the Kyiv regime," he added.

Ukraine has denied any direct involvement in the attack.

Ukraine has denied direct involvement with a drone attack on the Russian capital, Moscow, on Tuesday.

He also said, “What is growing in Russia is the karmic payment that Russia will gradually pay in aggravated form for everything it does in Ukraine.”

Russia had blamed Ukraine for the attacks early Tuesday.