Deadly Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow suburb leaves residents nervous and conflicted about war – Medusa

Last week, Ukraine launched its biggest drone attack on Russia's capital since the start of the all-out war. According to Russian officials, more than 140 drones crossed into Russian territory early on September 10, and air defenses reportedly shot down at least 20 in the Moscow region. The worst affected town was Ramenskoye, a suburb of Moscow where drone strikes damaged three apartment buildings, injured three residents and killed one. The attack comes amid news that Ukraine may soon receive permission from allies to use Western long-range missiles to strike Russian territory – and Moscow's region is full of facilities it could target. is A correspondent from the independent journalists' cooperative Berig went to Ramenskoye to find out how local residents are feeling after the attack and whether they are afraid of being targeted again. Medusa shared a slightly abbreviated translation of his report.

The names in this story have been changed for security reasons.

An old man stands shirtless on a balcony of his building, smoking a cigarette as he looks into the distance. Across the street stands a pale blue building badly damaged by a drone strike: where the windows used to be, the balcony frames have partially melted, and the facade is crumbling. The distorted structure is impossible to miss, but the man seems to deliberately avert his gaze elsewhere.

Surrounding the mutilated apartment complex, which was hit by a Ukrainian drone on September 10, is a railway station, a market, a community center, a stadium and several schools — in other words, the area is almost always bustling. Lives. People today, days after the attack, are no exception: pensioners are selling produce from boxes on the street, teenagers are riding electric scooters, and mothers are working with their children in strollers. As soon as you enter the courtyard of the blue apartment building, however, the atmosphere begins to change.

“Now it's become a reflex: the train goes by, and I flinch!” A young woman in a plaid shirt says to her friend.

” he says. [the drone] Failed to notice our building – otherwise it would have killed us!” a man holding a children's bicycle tells a group of his neighbours.

“I thought to myself, 'An explosion! It probably hit someone. I'll find out in the morning,'” a young man in a suit says to a woman walking beside him, a smile on his face.

The strike happened around 4 a.m. local time, but some people in the area woke up earlier — according to them, there was “continuous buzzing” since 2 a.m. A woman named Polina, whose building was not affected by the attack, tells Berig.

“I thought, 'Thank God he missed us.' Then suddenly my phone rings, and it's my sister. 'We're coming,' Polina continues. Her sister's family lives in a light blue building, and while their apartment were unharmed, first responders who arrived at the scene did not allow them to return for several hours.

“My husband, who is stationed at me, was shocked. [saying,] 'How can we let this happen?'” Polina's friend Lyudmila chimes in. “She even joked about coming here herself and shooting down drones with a rifle – Russian-style air defense!”

Polina and Lyudmila believe that the drones were launched “from somewhere nearby”. Ramenskoye is surrounded by forests where drone operators could potentially avoid detection. The women also believe that Russian officials knew the attack was being planned.

“At 1:00 a.m., they closed all the airports. It means they knew, but they didn't bother to warn us,” Lyudmila says.

“Perhaps to avoid causing panic,” Paulina suggested.

“Maybe. But on the other hand, people could have gone away from the windows and at least packed some essentials and left. Maybe there would have been no casualties,” Lyudmila says.

The woman who was killed in the attack was in bed when the accident took place. The drone flew into his apartment window and exploded, shattering a piece of wall that hit him in the head.

Polina and Lyudmila hope the drone attack was an “isolated case,” but they still think the city needs to set up a proper alert system for possible future attacks — otherwise, they say, you “Probably won't even wake up.”

Lights are burning in a few windows on the upper floors of the blue building. Residents in the courtyard look on in shock, whispering to each other whether it is safe to return to the partially destroyed apartments and use the electricity there.

“These poor people need help: many of them have outstanding mortgages,” says Ekaterina, pointing to the bright windows. She still pays for an apartment in the building herself, and It is feared that the damage caused by the drone attack will not be covered by insurance, leaving his neighbors paying for the burnt units. Her own apartment was unscathed, but she finds this cool comfort: “We had such a beautiful building and now the kids have to see it.”

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Her mother says Ekaterina has a six-year-old daughter who was terrified the night of the attack. Several days later, the girl still hasn't recovered: she has trouble sleeping at night, and Ekaterina is thinking of finding a child psychologist. “When it all started, she started screaming, 'Run! We're going to be burned alive! They're going to kill us!'” she recounts.

Asked if she plans to move her family to a new area, Ekaterina just laughs. “Where are we going to go – Siberia, the moon? It's no use.” He believes drones and missiles can land anywhere, and it's the job of Russian officials to protect civilians from Ukrainian attacks. I fully support the president, and I admire him. But how can this be?” she says, pointing to the burnt building again. “It's scaring people, making them angry. I mean, come on – the war is in its third year, and nothing is settled yet?”

Most of the photos circulating on social media showed the blue building, which suffered the most damage. But two other buildings in the city were also targeted that night. On one of these 17-storey buildings, the police cordon has already been lifted and the surrounding area has been cleared of debris. The other building still has safety barriers in place, and two rescuers in protective suits and helmets are clearing debris from the damaged apartments. As you walk through the yard, charred pieces of concrete, glass, and plastic crumble underfoot, along with small pieces of plastic.

“As soon as it hit, I put everyone in the bathtub!” A small man excitedly tells his neighbors.

“Well, we decided to go into the hallway. Because, guys, if the apartment catches fire like this, we're not going to put it out!” says a young woman with a Yorkshire terrier.

Neighbors exchange theories about where the drones eventually went. Some believe they were targeting Zhukovsky airfield, about five kilometers (three miles) away, but that “they went off track due to jamming devices.” Others believe that the Ukrainian military wanted to carry out a “sabotage attack” with “maximum casualties” and chose the highest heights in the area.

“During the day, people from the investigative committee would come,” says the Yorkie girl.

“What did they want?” an old man in sweatpants asks him.

“Well, we're supposed to be victims.”

“Victims of what?” “Terrorist attack!” says the girl. (Russian authorities have officially declared the drone strike a terrorist attack.)

The man waved his hand dismissively and reached for a cigarette. Two women then come out of the building holding sheets of paper with the color coded apartments of the building. Residents say the women are inspecting apartments and documenting the damage so people can later claim compensation.

“Nobody's going to pay anybody for the windows. They're going to replace them themselves,” says the man in sweatpants. “[And the Investigative Committee employees] Just blowing smoke. 'Investigation' – what a joke!

Eventually, the people gathered in the courtyard begin to disperse: a meeting with city officials is soon to take place at a nearby school. Residents will learn more about how they will be compensated for their damaged apartments.

At the school gate, a woman in a pink pantsuit stands on duty: Natalya Aseva, head of the city's education committee. Only invited officials and residents affected by the attacks are allowed to attend the meeting, and Asiva checks the IDs of everyone trying to enter.

“You are not registered. [as living] Here!” she says to a man.

“What should I do? I'm registered in Moscow, but I live here!” he protests.

“There are so many people already there, they'll explain it to you later. Just hang out a little bit,” she says.

“Fucking idiot!” The man says under his breath as he walks away.

Berig's correspondent has also been barred from the meeting.

According to local media, officials promised during the meeting to “help repair damaged vehicles free of charge”, although it was unclear whether those whose vehicles were damaged beyond repair would receive compensation. A payment of 30,000 rubles ($330) was promised to registered tenants, although no timeline was provided. Those who are registered and own both of the damaged apartments will reportedly receive 60,000 rubles ($660). Officials also vowed to replace the broken windows by the end of this month.

“People say it's going to be a big renovation,” says Valentina Lovna, a longtime Ramenskoye resident. His own house was not affected by the attack, but he saw an explosion hit another building through his window.

Unlike her neighbors, Valentina remains optimistic and tries not to dwell on the possibility that Ramenskoye will be targeted again. “Everyone has their own destiny and there's no escaping it,” she says. “Things may not always be easy, but you have to pull yourself together. And if necessary, take a small pill to calm your nerves – once a day.”

Valentina tells Berig's representative that she read in the news that 144 drones hit Russia on the night of September 9-10, and she asks if there have been other incidents in the affected areas compared to what happened in Ramenskoye. The journalist tells him that he was not there that particular night.

“Life is beautiful and wonderful!” Valentina answers. “We need to wait and not panic.”

“Okay, Valentina, come on,” her friend said, walking her gently.

“We must pray to Allah Almighty to end this war!” Valentina whispered goodbye to the Berg representative. “Help us, Lord, already! Only a peace treaty can solve it, but as you can see, they don't want that. Britain doesn't want that. Well, then. Let's just hope that everything works out.” It'll be alright!”