Kremlin threatens use of nuclear weapons in retaliation for drone strike on Moscow skyscrapers: Putin ally warns there is 'no other way out' after attack on business district that closed Russian airspace and left one injured

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The Kremlin today bluntly threatened use of nuclear weapons in the wake of the Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow's skyscraper zone.

Three drones struck an elite office building and residential skyscraper in Moscow early Sunday morning in what Russia's Defence Ministry has branded an 'attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime'.

Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president and Putin ally, has warned there is 'simply no other way out' and said that Kyiv should 'pray to our warriors' that they do not 'allow the global nuclear fire to flare up'.

Moscow said it had brought down three Ukrainian drones early on Sunday that had been trying to attack the capital. It also claimed its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to attack Russia-annexed Crimea with 25 drones overnight.

Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, has been targeted by Kyiv throughout Moscow's Ukraine offensive but has come under more intense, increased attacks in recent weeks. Kyiv has repeatedly said it plans to take Crimea back.

The suspected Ukrainian attack inflicted the kind of terror on Moscow that Vladimir Putin's armed forces have imposed on Kyiv and other Ukrainians cities during the war. 

Medvedev on Sunday - Russia's Navy Day - slammed the Ukrainian offensive, warning: 'Our Armed Forces, repelling the counteroffensive of the collective enemy, protect the citizens of Russia and our land.

'This is obvious to all decent people. But beyond that, they prevent world conflict.

'After all, if we imagine that the offensive of the [Ukrainians] with the support of NATO was successful, and they seized part of our land, then we would have to, by virtue of the rules of the decree of the President of Russia dated 06/02/2020, go for the use of nuclear weapons.

'There is simply no other way out.

'Therefore, our enemies must pray to our warriors. They do not allow the global nuclear fire to flare up.'

He also mentioned the Kremlin's new Armageddon high speed underwater kamikaze nuclear drone, Poseidon, which still in development. Putin supporters say the weapon could sink Britain under a giant tsunami.

'Poseidon unmanned aerial vehicle joins the congratulations [for Navy Day] and recommends that the enemies of our country pray for the health of all Russian sailors,' Medvedev said.

President Vladimir Putin on Sunday praised Russia's navy in an address at an annual warship parade in Saint Petersburg, which he attended accompanied by several African leaders.

The military display took part as Moscow's offensive in Ukraine stretches into its second year and three Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow early on Sunday.

The Russian Navy has played a key role in Moscow's assault on Ukraine by pummelling the Western-backed country with ship- and submarine-launched cruise missiles, among other operations.

Without mentioning Ukraine in his speech, Putin hailed 'the brave crews of ships and submarines'.

'In the name of Russia, our sailors give all their strength, show true heroism and fight valiantly, like our great ancestors,' Putin said.

'Today, Russia is confidently implementing major elements of its national maritime policy and is consistently building up the power of its navy,' he added.

Forty five ships, boats and submarines took part in the parade along with around 3,000 servicemen, the Kremlin said.

The former imperial capital hosted a Russia-Africa summit earlier this week.

Several leaders and representatives of African countries including Mali and Burkina Faso attended the parade on Sunday.

Three Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow in the early hours on Sunday, Russian authorities said, prompting a temporary closure of traffic in and out of one of four airports around the Russian capital. 

'Sixteen Ukrainian UAVs were destroyed by air defence fire,' the Russian defence ministry said, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.

'Another nine Ukrainian drones were suppressed by means of electronic warfare and, without reaching the target, crashed into the Black Sea,' the ministry added.

The first of two drones penetrating the Russian capital's much-vaunted air-defences struck at 3.20am.

It hit the 50-storey IQ Quarter Tower, part of a business district called Moscow City that also includes elite residential apartments and penthouses.

While no one was hurt, there was minor damage to the façade of two office buildings in the Moskva-Citi business district, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

The area, several miles from the Kremlin, is known for its modern high-rise towers and one of the buildings damaged was home to three Russian government ministries as well as residential apartments, Russian media reported.

The attack reached the heart of Moscow, close to the White House headquarters of the Russian government.

One of the buildings struck by the drones houses the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The office of the Ministry of Digital Development, Telecommunications and Mass Media is also based here, part of Putin's propaganda edifice. 

Government documentation from the ministries was strewn in the street after the attack.

One video highlights the voices of two women seeing an incoming drone.

'There it is flying,' says one.

'It flies so quick.'

Another video has two more women on Presnenskaya Embankment, one saying: 'I told you…'

One screams: 'Ah! Mamochka! [Mummy…]

'Right next to us a drone hit a building.

'I filmed it.'

Guests at a Novotel hotel at Moscow City were panicked by the attack.

A young woman who gave her name only as Liya described the incident, saying: 'My friends and I rented an apartment to come here and unwind, and at some point, we heard an explosion and it was like a wave, everyone jumped.

'And then there was a lot of smoke and you couldn't see anything. From above, you could see fire.'

Some glass panels in one high-rise building were blown out and glass and debris littered part of the pavement below, which had been cordoned off by police and emergency services.

Flights were temporarily halted at major Moscow international airport Vnukovo, used by Putin and members of the Russian government, due to the drone strikes.

A source said: 'Vnukovo airport is closed for arrivals and departures.

'Flights are being redirected to other airports. One flight is in the waiting area.'

Later the airport was reopened. Air defences were working in the Odintsovo district.

The Defence Ministry said two drones had crashed in the Moskva-Citi district after being brought down using radio-electronic equipment. 

Air defences had shot down one more in the air over the Odintsovo area in the Moscow region, it said. 

'On the morning of 30th July, an attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime using unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in the city of Moscow was foiled,' the ministry said in its statement. 

'One Ukrainian UAV was destroyed in the air by air defence over the Odintsovo district of the Moscow region.

'Two more drones were suppressed by electronic warfare and, having lost control, crashed on the territory of the Moscow City non-residential building complex.'

It was portrayed as an 'attempted terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime'.

Separately, it said it had also successfully thwarted an overnight attack on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, by 25 Ukrainian drones which it said it had either shot down or forced to crash. 

Nobody had been hurt and no damage done in the Crimea episode, it said. 

There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainians.

Moscow routinely downplays attacks by Ukraine in an attempt not to alarm people. 

A source said: 'The glazing was shattered as a result of the blast at the level of fifth and sixth floors of the 50-story building on Presnenskaya embankment.'

TASS reported: 'There are no casualties and no fire has started.

'The people are being evacuated. Operational services and law enforcement agencies arrived on the scene.

'Law enforcement agencies reported that the Air Defence Troops repelled an attack by two aircraft-type drones in the west of Moscow Region.

'In addition, eyewitnesses report the sounds of an explosion in the west of Moscow.'

In Crimea, the defence ministry claimed that 25 drones had been repelled.

The defence ministry said: 'Tonight an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by twenty-five aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles on facilities on the territory of the Crimean peninsula has been foiled.

'Sixteen Ukrainian UAVs were destroyed by air defence fire.

'Another nine Ukrainian drones were suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed in the waters of the Black Sea and Cape Tarkhankut without reaching their target.

'There were no casualties or damage as a result of the foiled terrorist attack.'

The attack came after Putin on Saturday said he does not reject the idea of peace talks with Ukraine.

Putin, speaking at a press conference on Saturday after having met with African leaders in St Petersburg on Friday, said an African and Chinese initiative could serve as a basis for finding peace but warned there are things that are 'impossible to implement'.

Both Ukraine and Russia have previously said they will not come to the table for negotiations unless certain preconditions are met.

It was reported last month that African mediation in the conflict could begin with confidence-building measures followed by a cessation of hostilities agreement accompanied by negotiations between Russia and the West.

'There are provisions of this peace initiative that are being implemented,' Putin said yesterday. 'But there are things that are difficult or impossible to implement.' 

He added that one of the points in the initiative was a ceasefire.

'But the Ukrainian army is on the offensive, they are attacking, they are implementing a large-scale strategic offensive operation... We cannot cease fire when we are under attack.'

On the question of starting peace talks, Putin said, 'We did not reject them... In order for this process to begin, there needs to be agreement on both sides.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly rejected the idea of a ceasefire now as it would leave Russia in control of nearly a fifth of his country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 grinding months of war. 

Meanwhile, reports emerged last night that Saudi Arabia is planning to host a Ukrainian-organized peace summit in early August seeking to find a way to start negotiations over Russia's war on the country.

Those taking part in the summit will include Ukraine, as well as Brazil, India, South Africa and several other countries, an official - speaking on the condition of anonymity - said last night.

A high-level official from US President Joe Biden's administration also is expected to attend. 

The source claimed that planning for the event is being overseen by Kyiv and Russia is expected not to attend. 

The kingdom and Kyiv did not immediately acknowledge the planned talks. 

The early Sunday morning attack followed what Russia said was a similar Ukrainian attempt to attack Moscow with two drones last Monday.

One fell in the centre of the city near the Defence Ministry's headquarters along the Moscow River about 2 miles from the Kremlin. The other drone hit an office building in southern Moscow, gutting several upper floors.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said after Monday's attempted attack that there would be more drone strikes. There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to the latest incident.

'There were no casualties or injuries,' Sobyanin, the mayor, said in a short statement on the incident.

In another attack on July 4, the Russian military said four drones were downed by air defences on the outskirts of Moscow and a fifth was jammed by electronic warfare means and forced down.

Russia said on Monday it would retaliate harshly against Ukraine after two drones damaged buildings in Moscow, with one strike close to the building where the military holds briefings on what the Kremlin calls its 'special military operation' in Ukraine.