A rare drone attack jolted Moscow early Tuesday (May 30), causing only light damage but forcing evacuations as residential buildings were struck in the Russian capital for the first time . The Kremlin, meanwhile, pursued its with a third assault on the city in 24 hours.

The Russian Defense Ministry said five drones were shot down in Moscow and the systems of three others were jammed, causing them to veer off course. President Vladimir Putin called it a 害羞草研究所渢errorist害羞草研究所� act by Kyiv.

The attack, while causing only what Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said was 害羞草研究所渋nsignificant damage害羞草研究所� to several buildings, brought the war home to civilians in Russia害羞草研究所檚 capital.

Two people received treatment for unspecified injuries but did not need hospitalization, he said in a Telegram post, adding that residents of two high-rise buildings damaged in the attack were evacuated.

Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the wider Moscow region, said some of the drones were 害羞草研究所渟hot down on the approach to Moscow.害羞草研究所�

Ukraine made no direct comment on the attack, which would be one of its deepest and most daring strikes into Russia since the Kremlin launched its more than 15 months ago.

Putin said Moscow害羞草研究所檚 air defense 害羞草研究所渨orked in a satisfactory way,害羞草研究所� but added it is 害羞草研究所渃lear that our task is to plug the gaps害羞草研究所� in the system.

害羞草研究所淭he Kyiv regime 害羞草研究所� attempts to intimidate Russian citizens and strikes at civilian buildings,害羞草研究所� he said at a public event, responding to a question from the head of a Kremlin-allied think tank. 害羞草研究所淚t is, of course, a clear indication of terrorist activity.害羞草研究所�

Putin claimed Tuesday害羞草研究所檚 Kyiv attack was in response to Russia striking Ukraine害羞草研究所檚 military intelligence headquarters days earlier. But Andrii Cherniak, a Ukrainian intelligence representative, said the Kremlin害羞草研究所檚 forces failed to hit the building because its missiles were shot down.

Asked by The Associated Press whether there is high-level concern that the invasion of Ukraine is endangering Russian civilians, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that attacks on Russia reinforce the need to prosecute the war.

Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said the Kremlin害羞草研究所檚 policy is to play down the attacks.

害羞草研究所淵ou ask, why is Putin behaving like this, does he really not understand and fear the consequences?害羞草研究所� she wrote in a Telegram post. 害羞草研究所淎pparently he isn害羞草研究所檛 afraid, and everything is built on the idea that has been voiced more than once about a patient people who will understand everything and endure everything.害羞草研究所�

Still, the attacks raised questions about the effectiveness of Russia害羞草研究所檚 air defenses.

A senior Russian lawmaker, Andrei Kartapolov, told Russian business news site RBC that 害羞草研究所渨e have a very big country and there will always be a loophole where the drone can fly around the areas where air defense systems are located.害羞草研究所�

Kartapolov said the purpose of the attacks was to unnerve the Russian people. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 an intimidation act aimed at the civilian population,害羞草研究所� RBC quoted him as saying. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 designed to create a wave of panic.害羞草研究所�

Moscow residents reported hearing explosions before dawn. Police were seen working at one site of a crashed drone in southwest Moscow. An area near a residential building was fenced off, and police put the drone debris in a cardboard box before carrying it away.

At another site, apartment windows were shattered and there were scorch marks on the building害羞草研究所檚 front.

It was the second reported attack on Moscow. Russian authorities said two drones targeted the Kremlin on May 3 in what they . Ukraine denied it was behind that attack.

Last week, the Russian border region of Belgorod was the target of one of the most serious cross-border raids since the war began, with two far-right pro-Ukrainian paramilitary groups claiming responsibility. Officials in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar near annexed Crimea said two drones struck there on Friday, damaging residential buildings.

Other drones have multiple times. In December, Russia claimed it had shot down drones at airfields in the Saratov and Ryazan regions in western Russia. Three soldiers were reported killed in the attack in Saratov, which targeted an important military airfield.

Before that, Russia reported downing a drone that targeted the headquarters of its Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.

Ukrainian military analysts, though unable to confirm Kyiv had launched the drones against Moscow, said the attack may have involved UJ-22 drones, which are produced in Ukraine and have a maximum range of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).

Analyst Oleh Zhdanov said some UJ-22s are capable of reaching 害羞草研究所淢oscow and beyond,害羞草研究所� although he noted they can fly only half as far and carry half the payload of the Iranian-made Shahed drones used in the war by Russia.

Even so, Zhdanov told AP that 害羞草研究所渢he myth has been dispelled害羞草研究所� of the Russian capital害羞草研究所檚 invulnerability.

Since February, when a UJ-22 crashed 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Moscow, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly approached the Russian capital.

The White House National Security Council said in a statement that it was still gathering information about what happened in Moscow, but generally 害羞草研究所渨e do not support attacks inside of Russia.害羞草研究所� It noted that Russia害羞草研究所檚 bombardment of Kyiv was the 17th round of attacks this month, 害羞草研究所渕any of which have devastated civilian areas.害羞草研究所�

Ukrainian officials said the pre-dawn air raid on Kyiv killed at least one person, wounded 11 others and sent residents again .

At least 20 Shahed drones were destroyed by air defense forces in Kyiv in the latest attack on the Ukrainian capital. Overall, Ukraine shot down 29 of 31 drones, mostly in the Kyiv area, the air force said.

Before daylight, buzzing drones could be heard in the city, followed by loud explosions as they were taken down by air defense systems.

The heavy destruction in Kyiv contrasted with what was seen in Moscow. In the Ukrainian capital, burned-out cars, glass and debris littered the street outside a building where apartments were wrecked; in Moscow, only a few broken windows and scorched outer walls were evident, with repairs and repainting being done quickly to affected buildings.

A woman in Kyiv害羞草研究所檚 Holosiiv district was killed when she came onto her balcony 害羞草研究所渢o look at drones being shot down,害羞草研究所� Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post.

A high-rise in the same district caught fire after being hit by debris either from drones or interceptor missiles. The building害羞草研究所檚 upper two floors were destroyed, and people were feared to be buried in the rubble, the Kyiv Military Administration said. More than 20 people were evacuated.

Resident Valeriya Oreshko told AP that even though the immediate threat was over, the attacks had everyone on edge.

害羞草研究所淵ou are happy that you are alive, but think about what will happen next,害羞草研究所� the 39-year-old said.

A resident who gave only her first name, Oksana, said the whole building shook when it was hit, advising others: 害羞草研究所淕o to shelters, because you really do not know where (the drone) will fly.害羞草研究所�

Susie Blann And Joanna Kozlowska, The Associated Press

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