Three Ukrainian drones were shot down in and around Moscow, according to Russian officials, targeting the city as it was readying itself to host a parade celebrating the nation’s military might President Vladimir Putin was scheduled to attend, NBC News reports.
Reports showed the facade of a glass-covered office building in downtown Moscow damaged by one of the drones. Earlier this week, a drone crashed near the Ministry of Defense building and another crashed into a high-rise, destroying the upper floors.
Recently reported to be rattled by the attacks on Moscow and the mutiny of his allied Wagner forces, Putin did appear at the scheduled parade and gave a speech in which he promised dozens of additional warships produced in the coming year–perhaps to make up for the loss of so many ships in the Ukraine war, including one of its flagships. To secure Putin’s safety, the airspace of the surrounding region was closed and the local civilian airports were shut down for more than an hour.