Drone hits tower housing Russian ministries for second time in three days

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – A skyscraper in Moscow’s business district that houses three Russian government ministries was hit by a drone for the second time in three days on Tuesday, in what Russia called an attempted Ukrainian “terrorist attack.”

An adviser to the Ukrainian president said Moscow should expect more drone strikes and “more war”.

The building is known as “QI QI”, which houses the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Digital and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Video obtained by Reuters showed a section of its glass facade, high above the ground, destroyed by the impact.

“Right now, experts are assessing the damage and the condition of the infrastructure for the safety of people in the building. This will take some time,” Daria Levchenko, adviser to the economy minister, told Telegram. He said the team was working via video conference.

Moscow has been subject to repeated drone strikes since early May, when two drones were launched onto the roof of a building in the Kremlin complex.

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While the incidents did not cause casualties or major damage, they caused widespread concern and do not jibe with the Kremlin’s narrative that Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine is proceeding according to plan.

“Indeed, there is a threat, it’s obvious, but measures are being taken,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, declining to comment further.

Ukraine was pleased with the attacks, although without directly claiming responsibility for them.

“Moscow is quickly getting used to a total war,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

He said Russia should expect “more unidentified drones, more crashes, more civil unrest, more wars.”

Moscow residents spoken to by Reuters near the site of the attack gave mixed views on the dangers they felt they faced.

“In this situation, anywhere can be hit, so it’s very difficult to feel 100% safe,” said Alexander Gusev, 67. “No one is safe in this situation because we don’t know what will hit us and where.”

Another resident, Kirill, 32, who declined to give his surname, said: “I feel safe. I’m from Donetsk (in eastern Ukraine), so I consider this a small incident… You just have to adjust your attitude and all will be well.”

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said it foiled an “attempted terrorist attack” and shot down two drones west of central Moscow.

He said another was intercepted by jammed equipment and spun “out of control” before crashing into buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said it hit the same tower that had been hit on Sunday. “The facade was damaged on the 21st floor. The windows were damaged over 150 square meters,” he said.

A witness told Reuters: “We were going to see the tower where the explosion happened the day before yesterday… Suddenly there was an explosion and we immediately ran. There were broken windows and smoke was rising. Then the security services started running like the fragments were really big.”

Vnukovo Airport, one of the three main airports serving the capital, was briefly closed but later resumed operations.

There are indications that the incidents are causing some concern among Russian companies. After the first drone hit Moskva-Citi on Sunday, technology company Yandex ( YNDX.O ) sent a memo to employees instructing them not to stay in the office at night and urging them to “be careful.”