See Remains Of Failed Ukrainian Drone Attack In Moscow – While Western leaders mull over sending advanced fighter jets and long-range missiles to Ukraine, concerned that supplying these weapons would make it easier for Ukrainian forces to strike targets in major Russian cities, Ukrainian forces are apparently working to conduct these strikes using drones.
Ukraine Wants to Hit Moscow with Drones?
Reports this week reveal how an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed in Moscow Oblast, Russia, in recent days.
According to Moscow Oblast Governor Andrew Vorobyov, who spoke after the Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed that it had downed two Ukrainian drones in Russia’s south, the crashed UJ-22 drone was probably part of an effort to target Russian civilian infrastructure.
The crash occurred near the Voskresensk gas compressor station, a Gazprom facility close to the village of Gubastavo.
The facility is only 62 miles from the center of Moscow.
Writing on Telegram, Vorobyov said that the target of the drone was “probably a civilian infrastructure facility” and confirmed that no damage occurred.
“There are no casualties or damage on the ground,” Vorobyov also said, adding that the Russian security services are investigating the incident.
As of Tuesday evening, Kyiv had not claimed responsibility for the crashed drone or for the attempted drone strikes in southern Russia.
Photographs Show the Drone’s Remains
Images of the downed drone were shared on social media, revealing it to be a UKRJET UJ-22 UAV – a Ukrainian multi-purpose winged drone that is designed to function like an airplane.
The images show the drone with its wings snapped off and lying on the ground next to the main hull.
One of the wheels from the drone’s landing gear is raised into the air.
The drone appears to have crashed in wooded land.
“A Ukrainian UKRJET UJ-22 UAV crashed close to the Voskresensk gas compressor station in the Kolomensky district of #Moscow Oblast,” Ukraine Weapons Tracker writes in a post that contains the images.
Ukraine Weapons Tracker also noted that the drone must have traveled more than 600km if it were launched from Ukraine.
While Kyiv has not taken responsibility for the drone, the likelihood is that it was launched from Ukraine and traveled a substantial distance to reach Moscow Oblast.
If the drone is confirmed to have been launched by Ukrainian forces, it could be the deepest attempted Ukrainian UAV strike since the outbreak of the Russian invasion.
#Russia: A Ukrainian UKRJET UJ-22 UAV crashed close to the Voskresensk gas compressor station in the Kolomensky district of #Moscow Oblast.
It would’ve travelled 600km+ if launched from Ukrainian territory- possibly the deepest attempted Ukrainian drone strike of the war. pic.twitter.com/N4rSYZ6mMV
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) February 28, 2023
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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
