Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti posted – and later removed – a video showing Russian drones striking Ukraine, operated from the Moscow International Business Centre, also known as Moscow-City.

Source: The Insider, a Russian news outlet

Details: On the morning of 15 April, RIA Novosti posted two messages on its Telegram channel suggesting that operators of military drones targeting Ukrainian territory were based in a tower at the Moscow-City business centre.

The first post noted that "for the first time, a first-person view loitering munition controlled from Moscow struck a Ukrainian Armed Forces asset in Chasiv Yar at an extremely long range". The second post reported that the drone, operated from the Russian capital, had been prepared for deployment by a drone crew from the Espanola brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, stationed near Chasiv Yar in the Bakhmut district of Donetsk Oblast.

A Russian drone being operated from the Moscow-City centre

Photo: Screenshot

A six-minute video showing the coordination process had also been posted. Both posts were deleted within an hour and a half, with the removal first noted by the CTD Telegram channel.

"The commander hit the target while sitting in the Moscow-City," said one of the operation participants after the explosion was shown. "The operator feels safe and does not experience any psychological pressure," another individual in the video explains the advantages of remote drone control.

A Russian drone being operated from the Moscow-City centre

Photo: Screenshot

The Telegram channel operated by the Espanola brigade reports that the drone was piloted by the brigade commander, Stanislav Orlov. While staying "in a rented apartment in the Moscow-City, he successfully hit a target near Chasiv Yar with an Ovod drone". The post notes that "when using the Orbita software and hardware package, the operator can be located anywhere. In our experiment, the Moscow-City was simply an easily recognisable location."

The RIA Novosti report has sparked debate among pro-war Russian bloggers. "Did I understand correctly that after this video, if a kamikaze UAV flies over Moscow skyscrapers, the enemy will claim it hit the drone operators?" said military blogger Vladimir Romanov.

Background: In the summer of 2023, drones actively attacked the Russian capital, particularly the Moscow-City business centre.

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