Ukraine on Tuesday said it had carried out another strike on one of Russia’s key satellite communication facilities, marking the second claimed attack on the site in just over a week.
The target was the Dubna Satellite Communications Centre, located north of Moscow and around 500 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the facility plays a role in intelligence operations and helps coordinate Russian military activities in Ukraine.
Russia has not officially confirmed that the satellite centre was hit. However, Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov said a drone struck an “administrative building” in Dubna, though he reported no casualties from that incident.
Drone Attacks Cause Deaths Inside Russia
The latest wave of strikes also resulted in casualties, according to Russian officials.
Vorobyov said a six-month-old baby died after a drone crashed into a residential building in Yegoryevsk, a town southeast of Moscow. Rescue teams pulled two adults and two children from the rubble, but the infant died while being taken to hospital, he said in a statement on Telegram.
In Russia’s western Tver region, authorities said a 61-year-old woman was killed after a damaged “enemy drone” fell onto a residential summer house after being intercepted.
Moscow Says Dozens Of Drones Were Intercepted
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russian air defence systems responded to multiple drone waves aimed at the capital from Monday night onwards.
He claimed more than 60 drones were destroyed before reaching Moscow. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had intercepted or destroyed a total of 419 drones.
The Russian government has repeatedly accused Ukraine of expanding attacks beyond the battlefield, while Kyiv has said such operations are aimed at putting pressure on the Kremlin.
Kyiv Steps Up Long-Range Attacks
In recent months, Ukraine has intensified strikes deep inside Russian territory, with oil refineries among the main targets. The attacks have also expanded to major cities, including Moscow and St Petersburg.
Kyiv says the strategy is intended to increase pressure on Russia as the war enters its fourth year. Zelensky last week announced a 40-day operation aimed at “compelling” Moscow to end the conflict.
The Ukrainian military said attacks on Moscow and St Petersburg have been possible because of gaps in Russia’s air defence network.
It said Ukrainian operators are “systematically destroying” radar systems in Russia’s Bryansk region, which monitor airspace routes towards the Russian capital.
Dubna Facility Was Targeted Earlier Too
Tuesday’s reported strike was not the first time Ukraine has claimed to hit the Dubna communications centre.
The Ukrainian military had earlier said it struck the facility on June 22. Russian state news agency TASS reported at the time that the centre had come under a “massive drone attack”, but said communications and television services remained unaffected and no employees were hurt.
Kremlin Condemns Strikes
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov criticised the latest attack, accusing Kyiv of putting civilians at risk.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Peskov said, “Civilians are suffering, children are dying.”
