Russia shoots down two combat drones headed for capital: Moscow mayor

Moscow [Russia]: Russian air defence system has shot down two combat drones headed for the capital, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said and added that no injuries have been informed, TASS News Agency reported.

Sobyanin, on his Telegram channel, said, “Two combat drones have attempted to fly to the city. Both were shot down by air defence systems, one in the Domodedovo area, and another one in the vicinity of Minskoye Highway. No injuries have been reported.”

Later on, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported a failed attempt by Ukraine to attack facilities in the Moscow Region by UAV, adding that two drones have been shot down by air defence systems.

“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by unmanned aerial vehicles over the territory of the Moscow Region was thwarted during the night. Two drones were shot down by air defence systems,” the report said.

The attempted terrorist attack did not cause any casualties or damage, the ministry added, according to the TASS News Agency.

The tension between Russia and Ukraine started in 2014 but it escalated in 2022 after the former country started its special military operation in the latter country.

Earlier, Ukraine has taken down Soviet-era signs from a hilltop monument in Kyiv and replaced the hammer-and-sickle symbol with a trident coat of arms, CNN reported.

Kyiv this week changed the Soviet hammer and sickle sign to a trident, the Ukrainian coat of arms, on the shield of the Motherland Monument, which dominates the skyline of the capital.

“We believe that this change will be the beginning of a new stage in the revival of our culture and identity, the final rejection of Soviet and Russian symbols and narratives,” the Ukrainian culture ministry said. The week-long operation to dismantle the Russian insignia was finished on August 6, according to the ministry.

This comes in the midst of a conflict when the country has struggled to define its cultural identity in the face of Russian aggression, CNN reported.

The monument, a 102-meter-tall monolith that dominates its surroundings, is made of steel. The woman clutching the sword and the shield bearing the Soviet hammer and sickle was shown in the 1979-built monument.