A building in Moscow was again damaged by a drone attack on Tuesday. It is about the same office building that was damaged during the night to Sunday – and like previous attacks, it is believed to be a new type of Ukrainian drone, called the “beaver”.
– They are difficult for the Russian defense to detect, says Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi.
The drone attack is the latest in a series of drone attacks inside Russia in recent months, including on the Kremlin and Russian cities near the border with Ukraine. Russia blames the attacks on Ukraine, which has denied involvement.
Ukrainian “beaver drone”
The drone used in the attacks against Russia appears to be a newly manufactured Ukrainian drone, which in Swedish is called the “beaver”, says Lieutenant Colonel Joakim Paasikivi, who analyzed the images, to TV4 Nyheterna.
The drone, which is a couple of meters long, can carry up to ten kilograms of explosives. It has a moped engine with large wings at the back, Paasikivi describes.
Difficult to detect
The Ukrainian-made drone, with a range of approximately 100 miles, has autonomous control, meaning it is self-guided via satellite and programmed to hit its target.
Most likely, the drone was launched from Ukraine and flew slowly at a fairly low altitude through Russia. That makes them difficult to detect for that defense, according to Paasikivi.
Paasikivi believes that we will see more similar attacks against targets inside Russia.
– I would not be surprised if this will continue. It is difficult to say in what frequency, but we will probably see more attacks against high-profile targets in Russia.
The building likely the target
The Russian Defense Ministry claims that two drones were shot down in the Moscow region and that the third drone was allegedly fought in the capital and crashed, according to the Ministry of Defense, which blames Ukraine for the attack.
But Paasikivi believes it is highly likely that the building was the actual target because the same building was attacked twice.
– In that building there are parts of several ministries and government papers that have fallen out, which can be seen in the picture. That suggests that is the goal, says Paasikivi
Facts: Alleged drone attacks on Moscow
May 3: Russia claims that Ukraine tried to carry out a drone attack on the Kremlin in Moscow. According to Russia, the intention is to kill President Vladimir Putin.
May 30: A drone attack causes damage to several buildings in Moscow. Russia accuses Ukraine of being behind what it calls a “terrorist attack” on the capital.
June 21: Two drones are shot down near a military facility outside Moscow, the capital region’s governor says. The drones were allegedly heading for military warehouses southwest of Moscow, according to the governor.
July 4: Five drones are shot down in the Moscow region, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry.
July 24: Two buildings in Moscow are hit by drones, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. According to the state-controlled Tass news agency, the remains of a drone have been found on a street near Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
July 30: Several drones are shot down by Russian defense, according to the Ministry of Defense. The wreckage is said to have caused damage to the “Moscow City” skyscraper in western Moscow – where several Russian ministries are said to have their premises.
August 1: Two drones are shot down by Russian defense, according to the Ministry of Defense. Another drone damaged the same office complex as in Sunday’s attack, according to the mayor.
TT