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Drones over Moscow, a bomber hit, Chernihiv mourned
Summary
A look back at 21 August 2023, when Ukraine reported strikes deep inside Russia days after a deadly missile attack on Chernihiv.
What did 21 August 2023 show about the reach of the war? Two reported incidents in western Russia pointed to attacks far from the front line, coming two days after a Russian missile strike on a theatre in Chernihiv.
Moscow and Novgorod
On 21 August 2023, two people were injured by falling debris from a Ukrainian drone strike on Moscow, and flights were disrupted at the city's airports. Russia said it had shot down one drone and jammed another.
The same day, Ukraine claimed that saboteurs coordinated by its military intelligence had destroyed a Tupolev Tu-22M heavy bomber at the Soltsy-2 airbase in Novgorod Oblast. The claim was Ukraine's own, and the reports gave no Russian response to it.
Chernihiv, 19 August
The backdrop was the Russian ballistic missile strike of 19 August 2023 on a theatre in Chernihiv. At least seven people were killed and 129 others injured. The building was hosting a meeting of military personnel and engineers at an exhibition on the use of consumer drones in the conflict. Later background identifies the weapon as an Iskander-M ballistic missile, fired at the Taras Shevchenko Theatre in the city centre.
What the day showed
Taken together, the reports describe an exchange in which Russia struck a civic building in a Ukrainian city and Ukraine reported hitting targets in Russian territory, including the capital's airspace and an airbase. The Moscow incident, as reported, caused two injuries and disrupted air traffic. The Novgorod claim concerned a heavy bomber.
No link between the Chernihiv strike and the events of 21 August was stated in the reports, and none should be assumed. They are best read as separate incidents from the same stretch of the war.
