Russian media barely covered the massive drone attack on Moscow
The largest attack by Ukrainian drones on the Moscow region since the start of the war, which took place on the night of May 17, received minimal coverage on Russian federal television channels. According to Russian Telegram channels, major networks devoted about a minute of airtime to the event, while focusing primarily on the Russian army’s “retaliatory strikes” against Ukraine.
As noted by “The Agency,” on “Channel One,” “Russia-1,” and NTV, anchors spent about a minute on this topic, presenting the event as if it had just happened, despite the fact that there was sufficient time to prepare in-depth reports.
Instead of a detailed account of the attack’s consequences, the on-air focus shifted to the Russian army’s “retaliatory actions.” For instance, in its 12:00 p.m. broadcast, “Channel One” reported that Russia was “destroying military facilities in Ukraine’s rear areas.” “The Ukrainian Armed Forces’ infrastructure is on fire,” the program stated at the beginning against the backdrop of the title “Response to the Attacks.”
On the night of May 17, a number of Russian military-industrial complex and energy facilities were struck in Moscow and the Moscow region. Strikes were carried out on an oil depot in Durikino, an oil refinery in Kapotnya, the Angstrom microelectronics plant, and the Raduga Design Bureau, which develops cruise missiles.
On the morning of May 16, Moscow also came under attack by drones, causing airports in the Russian capital to temporarily suspend operations.
The “ATESH” partisan movement claimed responsibility for a sabotage operation in the Moscow region, which disrupted the functioning of elements of the Russian air defense system on the outskirts of the capital.
