May 30, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Tuesday that Ukraine has the right to "project force" over its borders for self-defense, following a drone attack in Moscow. 

Cleverly said he does not have any assessment over the drone attacks in Moscow on Tuesday, and he was referring to military targets more broadly beyond borders that are "internationally recognized as being legitimate as part of a nation’s self-defense."

At least three residential buildings were damaged by drones in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for the incident, while Kyiv has denied any direct involvement.

What the US says: A National Security Council spokesperson stressed that the US does not back attacks in Russia. 

"We saw the news and are still gathering information about what happened," the spokesperson said. "As general matter, we do not support attacks inside of Russia."

The Russian Defense Ministry said a Tuesday attack in the Moscow region involved eight drones. Ukraine has denied any direct involvement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for the drone attack, calling it a "clear sign of terrorist activity."

"Kyiv chose the path of intimidation of Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings," he said, adding, "We are concerned about attempts to evoke a response from Russia. It seems that is what they (Ukraine) want ... Kyiv provokes us to mirror actions. We will see what to do about this."

Putin said the city's air defenses worked normally, also suggesting that the drone attacks had been in response to recent Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.

Here's more about what happened today in Ukraine:

A Russian-appointed official in the occupied area of southern Ukraine has reported a series of explosions in the city of Melitopol.

Russian air defenses had worked, he added.

Powerful explosions had been heard throughout the city, according to Ivan Fedorov, the Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol, who is not in Melitopol himself.

An eyewitness to the explosions told CNN that a plane was shot down in the area late Tuesday. CNN is not disclosing their identity for their own security.

"This is the first time in all the days of the full-scale war that a plane was shot down over us," the eyewitness said. "There is a fire nearby, and there is a lot of smoke."

The eyewitness added that there were six incoming rockets or missiles. Three had been brought down by air defenses, but the others had struck their targets. One had hit the airfield.

Melitopol has become a hub for Russia's military as it reinforces defenses in the occupied southern regions of Ukraine. A community social media channel said the strike had been near the airfield, which has been attacked several times in the past. There is no independent verification of what may have been hit.

People have been killed and injured in a Ukrainian attack on a temporary accommodation center, Russia's Belgorod region Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

The center was sheltering residents resettled from rural municipalities of the Shebekinsky District, he said in a Telegram post.

Some context: The region of Belgorod has seen a growing incidence of cross-border fire, in both directions, as well as incursions from Ukraine by groups calling themselves anti-President Vladimir Putin Russian nationals. 

The US is compiling information on the drone attack in Moscow, a National Security Council spokesperson said, while stressing the US does not back attacks in Russia.

Russia blamed Ukraine for the drone attack in Moscow, while Ukraine has denied any direct involvement.

The NSC spokesperson also criticized Russia for launching an overnight aerial assault on Kyiv — the 17th this month.

"Russia started this unprovoked war against Ukraine. Russia could end it at any time by withdrawing its forces from Ukraine instead of launching brutal attacks against Ukraine’s cities and people every day," the spokesperson said.

In a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denounced the latest Russian airstrikes on civilian targets in Ukraine, a statement from the chancellor’s office said.

According to the statement, Zelensky thanked Germany for its military support, in particular for strengthening Ukrainian air defenses. Scholz vowed to continue to provide support to Ukraine "in close coordination with European and international partners," the statement added.

Scholz reaffirmed "Germany's unwavering solidarity with Ukraine in the face of aggression by the Russian Federation," according to the statement. 

At least one person died in Kyiv after Ukrainian air defenses shot down drones early Tuesday in the 17th aerial assault launched by Russian forces at the capital during this month alone.

The Russian Interior Ministry has placed two senior Ukrainian figures on its wanted list — hours after a series of drone attacks in the Moscow region:

The Investigative Committee of Russia is also investigating Syrskyi and Zaluzhnyi for the shelling of “civilians and civilian facilities in Donbas.”

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that Western countries are not tiring on providing aid to Ukraine. 

During an event in Oslo, Norway, the NATO secretary general stressed that support for Ukraine is being "stepped up." 

The NATO chief maintained that there is still "strong cross-party support across NATO allies both in Europe and the USA." Stoltenberg added that despite having "different voices" and opinions on the issue of support for Ukraine, there remains predominantly a "political will to stand by Ukraine." 

In a news conference last month, Stoltenberg had emphasized that NATO allies were united in supporting Ukraine and would "not be intimidated" from doing so. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for the drone attack in the Moscow region, calling it a "clear sign of terrorist activity."

"Kyiv chose the path of intimidation of Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings," he said, adding: "We are concerned about attempts to evoke a response from Russia. It seems that is what they [Ukraine] want ... Kyiv provokes us to mirror actions. We will see what to do about this."

The Russian president said the city's air defenses worked normally.

Putin suggested that the drone attacks had been in response to recent Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure.

"The Russian Armed Forces strike exclusively with long-range high-precision weapons and only at military infrastructure facilities. Of course, some portion of these strikes is aimed at the military headquarters as well as headquarters of the Ukrainian military intelligence, which was hit two to three days ago," he said.

In just the past few days, Russia has hit a medical facility in Dnipro and launched more than 50 drones at Kyiv.

Ukraine has not commented on any strike against the headquarters of its military intelligence.