Drone Targeting Civilian Facilities Crashes Near Moscow: Report

A drone crashed at a natural gas distribution facility southeast of Moscow on Tuesday, in an apparently failed strike 110 kilometres (68 miles) from the Russian capital's centre, as per reports.

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A drone that was most likely aiming at civilian infrastructure crashed close to Moscow on Tuesday after the defence ministry reported shooting down two Ukrainian drones in southern Russia, news agency AFP reported quoting a regional official.

The reported incidents are the most recent in a string of alleged drone attacks that Moscow has blamed on Kiev in recent months that have occurred inside Russia, sometimes far from the Ukrainian border.

News agency Reuters reported, "A drone crashed at a natural gas distribution station southeast of Moscow, an apparent unsuccessful attack 110 kilometres (68 miles) from the Russian capital. Ukraine has not openly claimed blame for internal Russian assaults. If it was behind the Kolomna incident, it would be the Russian capital's closest attempted drone strike since Russia invaded Ukraine just over a year ago."

"As for the incident involving the crash of a UAV in the Kolomna district... the target was most likely a civilian infrastructure facility, which was not harmed," Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said in a statement, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.

"On the ground, there are no casualties or damage. The FSB (security services) and other appropriate authorities are conducting an investigation," Vorobyov explained.

Officials have not said what property was targeted, although the Russian energy giant Gazprom has a facility near the village of Gubastovo, where the drone fell, as per the reports. 

The Russian state-run news source RIA Novosti reported that Gazprom's activities in the Kolomna region were unaffected.

"There were no crises as a result of the drone crash," its press service said, according to RIA Novosti.

Vorobyov, the Moscow regional governor, spoke immediately after the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces had shot down two Ukrainian drones in southern Russia, AFP reported. 

"The Kyiv regime sought to strike civilian infrastructure in the Krasnodar region and the Adygea Republic using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Electronic warfare units destroyed the UAVs," it stated.

Ukraine has been accused by Moscow of being behind several drone assaults against Russian military infrastructure within the country.

Drone assaults on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the border region of Belgorod are examples of this.

Russia stated in December that it had shot down six drones near Engels, a significant Russian aircraft station located hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine's border.

Pantsir defence systems were spotted in the Russian defence ministry and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's houses in January, but the Kremlin declined to comment.

(With Inputs From Agencies)