PUTIN BLITZED
A KAMIKAZE drone was shot down "within earshot" of Putin's palace today as the war inches closer to the Russian tyrant's door.
Moscow was blitzed by a swarm of drones in a rare attack on the Russian capital after Ukraine vowed to respond to a barrage of unprecedented missile attacks in recent days.
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Dozens of kamikaze drones appeared to target wealthy suburbs of Moscow where Putin’s oligarch cronies have luxury retreats.
Several were shot down over the plush district of Rublyovka and caused damage and injuries as the Ukraine war appeared to be coming to Putin’s own backyard.
And footage appeared to show one of the drones exploding in a huge mushroom cloud near Usovo village - close to Putin's estate Novo-Ogaryovo.
According to Pravda, a drone was downed in the village of Razdory - just six miles from the Russian leader's luxury palace.
A local resident said it "would be in earshot of the explosion".
Journalist Farida Rustamova said the drone was shot down just "a ten minute drive" from the residence in Usovo.
"This is part of Rublyovka where state-owned cottages and private houses of officials and businessmen are located," she said.
"Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo residence (in the village of Usovo) is a 10-minute drive away."
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A Pantsir-S1 air defence missile system was reportedly installed near Putin's residence earlier this year amid fears of drone attacks from Ukraine.
It's not clear if Putin was at his estate when the drone attack hit.
Other drone strikes targeted Ilyinskoye, Timoshkino, Romashkovo and Greenfield, according to Alexander Khinstein, a lawmaker from Putin’s United Russia political faction.
Elsewhere in the capital, video showed drones flying overhead before being shot down in plumes of black smoke.
Residents said they heard loud bangs followed by the smell of petrol.
Blocks of flats and other tall buildings had windows blown out as locals scattered in panic as FSB intelligence investigators rushed to multiple sites.
Russian lawmaker Maxim Ivanov branded the barrage of drones as the worst attack on Moscow since World War Two.
"You will either defeat the enemy as a single fist with our Motherland, or the indelible shame of cowardice, collaboration and betrayal will engulf your family," he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "quite clear that we are talking about the Kyiv regime's response to our very effective strikes on one of the decision-making centres".
And Russia's Defence Ministry blasted Kyiv for the "terrorist attack" on the city.
It said five drones were shot down and the systems of three others were jammed - causing them to veer off course.
"The Kyiv regime launched a terrorist attack with unmanned aerial vehicles on facilities in the city of Moscow," it said.
"Eight aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles were involved in the attack. All enemy drones were hit."
According to local reports, at least 10 drones were shot down over the Istra, Krasnogorsk and Odintsovo districts.
Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed a number of drones were shot down by air defences as they approached Moscow.
Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said: "Residents of some areas of the Moscow region could hear the sounds of explosions.
“This is our air defences. On approaching Moscow, several drones were shot down. I ask people to remain calm."
Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the onslaught left "minor damage to several buildings".
But Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he was "deeply outraged" by Putin's troops doing "f**k all" to stop the barrage of drones reaching the Russian capital.
The attacks come after the Ukraine's military intelligence chief vowed to respond swiftly to the drone and missile attacks on Kyiv in recent days.
Kyrylo Budanov said: "All those who tried to intimidate us, dreaming that this would have some effect, you will regret it very soon.
"Our answer will not be long in coming. Soon everyone will see everything."
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A Ukrainian presidential aide denied Kyiv was directly involved in the drone strikes - but said Ukraine predicted an increase in such attacks.
Mykhailo Podolyak told the Breakfast Show YouTube channel: "Of course we are pleased to watch and predict an increase in the number of attacks.
"But of course we have nothing directly to do with this."
Speculation has grown that they could be another Putin “false flag” ruse to discredit his enemy.
Reports suggested the attacks could have come from Kaluga region in Russia.
It marks the second attack on Moscow after two drones hit the Kremlin earlier this month in what was branded an assassination attempt on Putin.
Moscow has remained largely undisturbed by the ravages of Putin’s war, which has killed up to 200,000 Russian troops and claimed the lives of thousands of Ukrainian civilians.
It comes after Russia launched a pre-dawn attack on Kyiv on Tuesday, killing at least one person and sending residents scrambling into shelters.
At least 20 drones were destroyed by air defence forces in Kyiv after Russia's third attack on the capital in the past 24 hours, according to the Kyiv Military Administration.
The buzzing of drones could be heard over the city - followed by loud explosions as they were shot down.
One person died and three were injured when a high-rise building in the Holosiiv district caught fire.
Kyiv said Tuesday's attack involved only Iranian-made Shahed drones and no missiles.
Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration, said: "The attack was massive, came from different directions, in several waves."
The wave of attacks - which started on Sunday - included a rare daytime attack on Monday.
Russian forces fired 11 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv, according to Ukraine chief of staff, Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
"All of them were shot down," he said.
Debris from the missiles fell in Kyiv's central and northern districts, landing in the middle of traffic on a busy city road.
The Russian Defence Ministry said it had launched a series of strikes early on Monday targeting Ukrainian air bases with precision long-range air-launched missiles.
Russia has repeatedly bombarded the Ukrainian capital this month - mostly at night - using drones and missiles.
In a bid to fight back, deadly tankbuster drones being built on the cheap inside homes in Ukraine to take on Russia.
The Sun was shown how the amateur fanatics are making the flying bombs in their spare bedrooms.
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The game-changing weapons cost a few hundred pounds and can blitz battle tanks worth millions.
Strapped to a rocket-propelled grenade, the drones are transformed into precision guided missiles that can hunt and destroy moving vehicles at over 100mph.
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