Ukraine struck the Moscow region on Tuesday in its biggest drone attack so far on the Russian capital, killing at least one woman, wrecking dozens of homes and forcing around 50 flights to be diverted from airports around Moscow.

Russia, the world’s biggest nuclear power, said it destroyed at least 20 Ukrainian attack drones as they swarmed over the Moscow region, which has a population of more than 21 million, and 124 more over eight other regions.

At least one person was killed near Moscow, Russian authorities said. Three of Moscow’s four airports were closed for more than six hours and almost 50 flights were diverted.

  • ThePyroPython@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    This is true but if it wasn’t intentional Ukraine needs to release a statement if that is the case because:

    1. Russia would never admit to fault and it shows Ukraine is committed to upholding the Geneva convention and therefore has the moral high ground.

    2. That statement to Russian non-combatants would go a long way to winning the hearts and minds of the Russian populace. We can argue ethics and complicity of the Russian population in this war all day and night but the “enemy” treating them with more respect than Putin would make the Kremlin’s propaganda department sweat buckets.

    • RubberDuck@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      A statement to the Russian population… like treating civilians in Kursk with decency and bringing them supplies. Like only targeting military relevant targets instead of schools, hospitals, or even double tapping sites to hit first responders and the like?

      Ukraine has systematically not targeted civilians and stated multiple times they go after valid military targets only. Their NATO partners also require this of them.

      On the other hand, Russia keeps claiming they shot down targets or jammed targets that than still ended up on the targeted objective (they are very, very, very unlucky apparently) but then if a weapon would end up on an actual civilian structure… the Ukranians did it on purpose… Like sure…

      This is a non starter… holding Ukraine to a high standard is important… But with their long list of actual military targets, I don’t see them allocating resources to hitting civilian targets… except maybe one of Putin’s villas… to make a point.

      • ThePyroPython@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Again I agree, and I don’t think NATO should withhold or restrict aid and training if Ukraine don’t issue a statement.

        And I agree that looking back over targets hit between Ukraine and Russia it is clear as day that Ukraine IS holding to the high standard in place by NATO members and is targeting only military targets.

        The issue is that in the political sphere Russia and their useful idiots and apologists only need one example to try and smear the story into false “well both sides did it” narrative which you then have to pull out the long list and start going through it i.e. it takes more time to disprove a lie than to say it.

        If, as it is most likely the case, Ukraine accidentally hit a random tower block then said “whoops, missed the target there, but shit happens in war, it was a guidance failure / got shot down by air defence and crashed / whatever” it provides a quick response to the story the Kremlin will try and spin out of it add to the list of examples you gave how Ukraine treats civilians vastly better than Russia.

        I don’t see the downside of doing this. The Kremlin wouldn’t know how to respond.