Despite a recent increase in Ukrainian drone attacks hitting Moscow’s financial district and even the Kremlin, some residents have accepted the conflict’s surge effects.
Strolling in Moscow on a summer’s day as pop music blared from a café, Tigran is one of the capital’s residents who say they have come to terms with a surge in Ukrainian drone attacks.
Day-to-day life in the city of some 12 million people has changed little since the Kremlin launched large-scale hostilities in Ukraine last February, upending the lives of millions of Ukrainians.
But a recent uptick in aerial assaults has hit the capital’s financial district, ripped holes in commercial buildings, and even struck the Kremlin, a reminder of hostilities playing out hundreds of kilometers away.
Still, some residents have accepted with a shrug the ripple effect of the conflict in Ukraine.
“Living in Moscow isn’t scary,” Tigran, a sunglass-wearing 40-year-old who declined to give his last name, said. “I feel safe.”
The attacks point to a broader phenomenon of how crucial drones have become for both sides, being deployed on an unprecedented scale for reconnaissance and precision artillery targeting.
In the weeks since, Moscow has suffered at least eight aerial attacks Russian authorities have blamed on Kyiv.
Residents voiced confidence in the military’s ability to intercept them.
Konstantin, a 70-year-old retiree who declined to give his last name, felt “absolutely calm,” citing his trust in the army.
“There are enough personnel and equipment,” he said, referring to air defense systems around Moscow.
However, he did complain that the electronic jamming techniques used to down Ukrainian drones interfered with his car’s navigation system.
Besides minor inconveniences, like difficulties getting around the city or repair work at drone crash sites, analysts also said the Ukrainian aerial attacks had little impact.
Compared to the damage Russian forces were bringing to Ukrainian cities, Kyiv’s aerial assaults on Kyiv were negligible, said Vassily Kashin, a political analyst and professor at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.
“Drones in Moscow either do not affect people’s attitude towards the war or lead to calls for tougher conduct,” he added.
The strikes have nonetheless raised questions about Russian air defense systems and how vehicles launched from Ukraine can fly undetected for hundreds of kilometers.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
