Putin labels drone strike on Moscow as 'terrorist' attack by Kyiv

Over the past week, Russia has carried out some of the heaviest strikes of the war on Kyiv, ITV News' Rachel Younger reports

Vladimir Putin has labelled a drone strike on Moscow a "terrorist" attack by Kyiv aimed at intimidating Russians.

Russia said eight drones targeted civilian areas of Moscow and the Moscow region - with a population of over 21 million - in the early hours of Tuesday but were either shot down or diverted with special electronic jammers.

President Putin said Ukraine had chosen the path of attempting "to intimidate Russia, Russian citizens and attacks on residential buildings".

Over the past week, Russia has carried out some of the heaviest strikes of the war on Kyiv, with numerous residential buildings being damaged.

President Putin said Moscow’s air defence "worked in a satisfactory way," but added it is "clear that our task is to plug the gaps" in the system.

"The Kyiv regime ... attempts to intimidate Russian citizens and strikes at civilian buildings," he said at a public event, responding to a question from the head of a Kremlin-allied think tank.

"It is, of course, a clear indication of terrorist activity."

It was the second reported attack on Moscow after authorities said two drones targeted the Kremlin earlier this month in what was labelled an attempt on President Vladimir Putin's life.

The Russian defence ministry said five drones were shot down and the systems of three others were jammed, causing them to veer off course.

Moscow's mayor said two buildings were evacuated and two people received medical attention for unspecified injuries but did not need to go to hospital.

Moscow residents reported hearing explosions before dawn. Police were seen working at one site of a crashed drone in southwest Moscow.

An area near a residential building was fenced off, and police put the drone debris in a cardboard box before carrying it away.

At another site, apartment windows were shattered and there were scorch marks on the building’s front.

On the same night as the strikes on Moscow, Kyiv was bombarded by a drone strike, leaving one dead and three injured.

Ukraine said at least 20 Iranian-made drones were destroyed by air defence forces in Kyiv’s airspace in Russia’s third attack on the capital in the past 24 hours.

The building’s upper two floors were destroyed, and there may be people under the rubble, the Kyiv Military Administration said.

Resident Valeriya Oreshko said that even though the immediate threat was over, the attacks had everyone on edge.

"You are happy that you are alive, but think about what will happen next," the 39-year-old said.

Moscow has been ramping up its strikes on Kyiv in recent days amid widespread speculation Ukraine is about to start a counterattack.

On May 28 the capital was struck by the largest attack since the start of the war.

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Ukrainian officials claimed 54 Russian drones were launched at Kyiv, with 52 of them being shot down.

Although Ukraine has managed to beef up its air defence systems drastically since the start of the war thanks to weapons systems provided by its Western allies, falling debris still presents a major threat.

Pieces of destroyed drones killed one and injured one during the May 28 attack.

Authorities also said falling debris was the cause of a fire after Tuesday's attack.

The war has mostly been in stalemate for several months, with only small amounts of land trading hands at a huge cost in manpower and resources in the city of Bakhmut.