May 31, 2023
1. Kremlin outlined why Ukraine attacked Moscow by UAVs
In the morning on May 30 Kiev unsuccessfully sent 13 UAVs to attack Moscow. It was the second attempt made by Armed Forces of Ukraine since May 3rd, that also failed.
Five have been destroyed in Moscow Region while approaching Moscow air space by air defense systems, five have been hit over Moscow also by and 3 have been suppressed by ECMs before they could reach their targets. The raid only resulted in several residential buildings sustaining slight damage. Two civilians received minor injuries, they have not been hospitalized.
Following the raid, Vladimir Putin stated that “Kiev’s attack on civilian targets in Moscow confirmed what method Kiev uses and called May 30th incident as Ukrainian terrorist activity. He later confirmed that Russian forces struck Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate HQ in Kiev several days ago.” Three huge arms storage sites packed by NATO weapons have been completely destroyed during Russian missile attacks as well.
"Using NATO weapons, the Kiev authorities continue to strike at social facilities, carry out terrorist attacks against peaceful Russian citizens. Our Armed Forces react as harshly as possible to the actions of Ukrainian militants," Sergey Shoigu, Russian Defence Minister said.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, argued that the Kiev attack once again confirmed the need to continue the Special Military Operation in Ukraine until its goals are achieved. The spokesman also said the authorities and military personnel in Moscow and Moscow Region had carried out their duties properly and that the air defense systems also “worked well.”
The Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense, Aleksey Zhuravlev, noting that Kiev had ultimately failed to achieve its goal of spreading panic in the capital, added that the attack has not affected life in the capital in any way. I personally confirm such conclusion.
2. Medvedev: the UK is ‘de facto’ at war with Russia
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who currently serves as Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council has described the UK as waging an “undeclared war” against Russia. The comment came after Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly condoned a large-scale drone attack on Moscow on May 30.
On May 31 Medvedev accused London of being Moscow’s “eternal enemy.” He claimed that based on international law, “including the Hague and Geneva Conventions with their additional protocols,” Britain “can also be qualified as being at war.” The former Russian president argued that by providing Ukraine with weapons and training, the UK “de facto is leading an undeclared war against Russia.”
3. Russian Forces destroyed last Ukrainian warship
On May 29 Russian Armed Forces destroyed the last warship of the Ukrainian Navy Yuri Olefirenko, at the port of Odessa. So, there is no Ukrainian Navy in the Azov and the Black Seas any more.
This was a landing craft built in the 1960s-1970s in Poland for the Soviet Navy. The ship was commissioned in 1971.
Written by Vladimir P. Kozin
