Moscow Target Drone, Russian Defense Minister Accuses West Of Increasing Arms Supply To Ukraine

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. (Source: Kremlin)

JAKARTA - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday the West was increasing supplies of equipment and weapons to Kyiv, ahead of what he said would be Ukraine's "large-scale" attack, saying Moscow would attack detected supply routes.

Speaking on state television, Defense Minister Shoigu also said Russia had caused "effective shot damage to the enemy".

And, he also underlined again, Western weapons will not change the results of Moscow's "special military operations" in Ukraine.

He spoke shortly after Ukraine launched its biggest drone strike on Moscow, although the Shoigu Ministry said Russian air defenses had destroyed the eight drones.

"This morning, the Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack on the Moscow region. On a civilian target, I pay attention to it," Shoigu said, quoted by Reuters on May 31.

As previously reported, eight drones targeted Moscow and its surrounding areas with a population of more than 21 people in the early hours of Tuesday, Russian authorities said, but all of them were shot down and or diverted with special jamming.

The attack targeted areas where President Vladimir Putin and other Russian elites had residences. Two people were injured in the incident, according to the Mayor of Moscow.

President Putin called the attack a terrorist response, which came after Russia attacked Ukraine's military intelligence headquarters a few days ago.

Ukraine, continued President Putin, has chosen a path to try "intimidating Russia, Russian citizens and attacking residential buildings".

"This is clearly a sign of terrorist activity," he said.

Earlier, the Kremlin said Tuesday's drone strike against Moscow was Kyiv's attempt to retaliate against an effective Russian attack on one of the important facilities, the decision-making center in Ukraine on Sunday.

"It is clear that what we are seeing is the reaction of the Kyiv regime to our very effective attack against one of the decision-making centers. The attack took place on Sunday," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Separately, an assistant to the Ukrainian President denied Kyiv was directly involved in the Moscow attack, but said Ukraine enjoyed watching the attack and expected more attacks.

"Of course we are happy to watch and estimate an increase in the number of attacks. But, of course, we have nothing to do directly with this," said Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.

Ukraine has hinted that it will soon start a long-predicted "retaliatory attack" and is backed by Western weapons to try to expel Russian invaders from its territory.