Russian MP says three drones downed over exclusive Moscow suburb

MOSCOW: A senior Russian politician said three drones shot down over Moscow on Tuesday (Mar 30) had been downed over the Russian capital's exclusive Rublyovka suburb, where President Vladimir Putin has an official residence.

The Russian defence ministry earlier said air defences had destroyed all eight of the drones used in the attack, which it blamed on Ukraine.

"Three of them were suppressed by electronic warfare, lost control and deviated from their intended goals," it said. "Five more unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down by the Pantsir-S anti-aircraft missile and cannon complex in the Moscow region."

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said two people were injured in the attack but no deaths were reported.

In a post on Telegram, Alexander Khinshtein, a prominent member of Russia's parliament from the ruling United Russia bloc, said three drones had been downed over three Rublyovka villages, one of which is located just 10 minutes' drive from Putin's residence at Novo-Ogaryovo.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which has begun probing the drone strike, confirmed that drones were downed over the Odintsovsky district, which includes Rublyovka.

Rublyovka, a patchwork of elite gated communities in the forests west of Moscow that once boasted some of the world's highest real estate prices, is home to much of Russia's political, business and cultural elite.

Apart from Putin, former president Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin have been reported to own homes in Rublyovka, alongside many of Russia's richest business figures.

Putin is working in the Kremlin and has been briefed about drone attacks on Moscow, according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"The president's working day started very early today," Peskov said. "He received direct information both via the Defence Ministry and via the relevant departments."

Putin also received "information from the Mayor of Moscow, the governor of the Moscow region, the Ministry of Emergency Situations", he added.

"Everything worked properly, worked well. The air defence system also worked well. It is quite clear that we are talking about the Kyiv regime's response to our very effective strikes on one of the decision-making centres... on Sunday.

"This once again confirms the need to continue this special military operation and achieve the set goals."

In a statement posted on Telegram by his press service, Wagner Group mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin blamed the drone strikes on senior military officials living in the suburb.

Prigozhin, known for his blunt, expletive-laced language, has repeatedly cast Rublyovka's residents as an out-of-touch elite insufficiently committed to the Ukraine campaign, and has blamed the top brass for Russian failures on the battlefield.

"Why the f*** are you allowing these drones to fly to Moscow? Who gives a shit that they are flying to your homes on Rublyovka! Let your houses burn," said Prigozhin.

A Ukrainian presidential aide denied Kyiv was directly involved in Tuesday's drone attack on Moscow but said Ukraine was enjoying watching the events and predicted an increase in such attacks.