A drone struck a high-rise apartment building in Moscow early Monday, marking a rare incursion into the Russian capital amid escalating Ukrainian long-range attacks inside Russia. The incident occurred approximately four miles southwest of the Kremlin, in a predominantly low-rise residential neighborhood.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed the drone impact and said there were no casualties. Visuals from the scene showed significant damage to one floor of the 54-story tower, the tallest building in that part of the city. It remains unclear whether the building was the intended target.

The strike came five days ahead of Russia’s annual Victory Day parade on May 9, a key event held on Red Square commemorating the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany during World War II. This year’s parade is being scaled back considerably, reflecting concerns over increased Ukrainian drone threats targeting Moscow. Officials recently reported multiple drone interceptions in the city’s outskirts.

Russian authorities have not directly blamed Ukraine for the drone strike on the apartment building, and Ukrainian officials have yet to comment on the incident. However, it aligns with a pattern of recent Ukrainian operations aimed at damaging Russian infrastructure deep inside Russian territory, including strikes on oil-export stations on the Black Sea and attacks on vessels linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet” involved in circumventing international sanctions.

Just last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a one-day ceasefire on Victory Day, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected, insisting on a permanent ceasefire rather than a single-day pause for Russia’s festivities.

In light of the ongoing threat posed by Ukrainian drones, Russia announced that the parade would proceed without the display of heavy military hardware for the first time in nearly 20 years. Additionally, students from military secondary schools were excluded from participation.

The Kremlin has framed its military operation in Ukraine as a continuation of the Soviet fight against Nazism in World War II, despite widely discredited claims that the Kyiv government has been overtaken by neo-Nazis. The drone strike in Moscow underscores the increasing reach of the Ukraine-Russia conflict and raises questions about Moscow’s air defense capabilities ahead of one of its most symbolic national commemorations.