Will Moscow drone attacks turn Russians against the Ukraine war?

Muscovites can't ignore the violence when it's on their doorstep

A building damaged by a drone attack in Moscow
At least three drones hit apartment buildings in an upscale neighborhood in Moscow
(Image credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP via Getty Images)

Civilian areas in Moscow came under attack this week for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine. At least three drones hit apartment buildings in an upscale neighborhood, injuring two people. Russia said it shot down five other drones. Russian President Vladimir Putin reacted angrily. "Kyiv chose the path of intimidation of Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings," in a "clear sign of terrorist activity," he said. "They are provoking us into responding in kind."

Kyiv denied responsibility, but violence continued inside Russia. Days after the Moscow attack, drones targeted two oil refineries in southern Russia near the Ukraine border, igniting a fire at one of the facilities. And earlier last month, there was an incursion by anti-Putin, pro-Ukraine commandos who briefly seized three towns in Russia's Belgorod region and raised a Ukrainian flag. Western officials said Moscow appeared to be responding to these attacks by boosting its defenses along its 900-mile front with Ukraine. Russia, which has hit civilian targets with missiles and drones routinely since starting the war last year, stepped up airstrikes against Kyiv.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.