Ukraine on Tuesday announced it had attacked one of Russia’s largest satellite communications centers for the second time in just over a week, as Kiev ramps up long-range drone strikes to pressure the Kremlin to end its four-year war.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Dubna satellite communications center north of Moscow, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Ukrainian border, is used to gather intelligence and coordinate Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
Russia has not confirmed that the Dubna communications center was attacked, but Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said the drone hit the town’s “administrative building” and that no casualties were reported.
Vorobyov also said a drone crashed into a house in the Moscow region on Tuesday, trapping people under rubble and killing a 6-month-old baby. Rescuers rescued two adults and two children, Vorobyov said on his Telegram channel, but the infant died on the way to the hospital.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said multiple waves of drones had been launched toward the Russian capital since Monday night, and Russian air defense forces had shot down more than 60 drones. Overall, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted or destroyed 419 drones.
Ukraine has increased pressure on the Kremlin with attacks deep into Russian territory, primarily targeting oil refineries, but also carrying out large-scale drone strikes in the Russian capital and St. Petersburg. War is creeping closer and closer, with President Zelenskiy last week announcing a 40-day operation aimed at “forcing” Russia to end the war, sparking frustration among some Russians.
This is the second time Kiev has claimed an attack on the Dubna satellite communications center since the Ukrainian military announced on June 22 that it had attacked the center. Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported a “massive drone attack” during the incident, but said communications and television broadcasts were not affected and no staff were injured.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that “civilians are suffering, children are dying” and accused Kiev of the attack on the Moscow region.
