May 30, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

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.

At least three residential buildings were damaged by drones in Moscow early Tuesday, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported citing emergency services and residents.

According to RIA, a drone hit the upper floors of a residential building on Profsoyuznaya Street in southwest Moscow, damaging the facade and glazing of the building.

Another one hit a flat on the 14th floor of an apartment building on Leninsky Prospekt (Lenin Avenue), RIA reported, citing a resident of the building.

And a third drone reportedly damaged the facade of a 24-storey residential building on Atlasova Street in southwest Moscow, reported RIA.

Separately, the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, said that air defenses shot down several drones in the region.

“This morning, residents of some areas of the Moscow region could hear the sounds of explosions - this is our air defense in action. On approaching Moscow, several drones were shot down,” Vorobiev wrote on Telegram.

The drone attack on Moscow is "a new reality we will have to recognize," said Alexander Khinshtein, a member of the Russian Parliament from President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

"Undoubtedly, sabotage and terrorist attacks by Ukraine will only grow. We need to drastically strengthen defense and security measures, especially in the area of countering drones," he said in a Telegram post Tuesday.

Khinshtein went on to say the fact that eight drones were allegedly shot down "should not comfort anyone."

"Do not underestimate the enemy!" he added. 

Russia has blamed Ukraine for the attack on Moscow early Tuesday. Kyiv is yet to comment on the incident.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for a drone attack on Moscow early Tuesday, but Kyiv has denied any direct involvement.

State media reports said two people were injured and buildings were damaged in the Russian capital.

The attacks followed yet another Russian bombardment of Kyiv overnight.

Here's what to know:

Moscow airports are functioning as usual following a drone attack that damaged several buildings in the capital city and the region, Russian state news agency TASS reported Tuesday.

All airports in the capital region are operating under normal conditions as of 8:00 a.m., and air traffic control dispatchers are working within normal limits, TASS reported, citing the press service of the Federal Air Transport Agency.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense has claimed that Ukraine is responsible for the drone attack against Moscow on Tuesday. Kyiv is yet to comment on the incident.

A 33-year-old woman was killed and 13 others were wounded in the Russian drone attack on Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, Ukraine’s National Police said.

Among those injured, nine were in the city while four were hurt in the wider capital region, police said.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported earlier that its air defenses had destroyed 29 of 31 Iran-made Shahed drones launched at Kyiv by Russia.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense has claimed that Ukraine is responsible for a "terrorist attack" using drones against Moscow on Tuesday.

All eight aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles launched at the Russian capital were destroyed, the ministry said in a statement.

Kyiv has not yet commented on the drone attack.

Russian state media reported earlier that two buildings were damaged in a drone attack. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in an update that two people were injured but no one was hospitalized. Emergency services continue to work at the sites, he said.

Russian air defenses shot down a number of drones as they approached Moscow Tuesday, the country's main federal investigating authority said in a statement Tuesday.

Based on preliminary information, there were no casualties, while city emergency services and Russian Investigative Committee personnel are on the scene following the attack, it added.