According to The Kyiv Independent, Moscow Oblast Governer Andrey Vorobyov announced today that a drone has crashed near the village of Gubastovo, less than 60 miles from Moscow. A senior Russian official reported to The Guardian that the Ukrainian UJ-22 drone was attempting to attack a Gazprom energy facility deep inside the country.
The apparent target was a gas compression station owned and operated by the Russian energy giant. Corporate representatives from Gazprom state that the drone never made it to its intended target, instead flying low and clipping trees before it impacted a fence just outside the grounds of the facility.
The UJ-22 is made by the Ukrainian company Ukrjet, which has many years of experience in the construction of unmanned aerial vehicles. This particular model has a range of 500 miles and a service ceiling of 6000 meters. Ukrainian officials typically deny any knowledge of these sorts of attacks.
ABC News reported on Tuesday that multiple other Ukrainian drones had penetrated Russian airspace but did not cause significant damage. Perhaps the real damage was done to the reputation of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he had recently stepped up security measures along the Russia/Ukraine border.
Russian Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that three drones targeted the Belgrod region Monday evening and that one flew through an open window in an apartment building, causing minor damage. A few Russian war bloggers expressed feelings that they felt the drone probes were a sort of rehearsal for a larger attack.
Some Russian hawks, like retired army colonel turned commentator Igor Korotchenko, called for immediate and severe retaliation against the presidential office in Kyiv.
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