The federal television stations have reported on the largest drone attack on Moscow by Ukraine since the beginning of the war, but have given this event minimal airtime. The publication “Vot tak” drew attention to this aspect.
“The First Channel” began its morning news with a report on the attack on a bus with children in the Bryansk region, dedicating four minutes to this subject. Afterwards, the presenter read, in about 20 seconds, the statement of Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, regarding the number of drones shot down, the attack on the Moscow refinery and on the “Sadovod” shopping center. Then, the presenter mentioned, quoting Governor Andrei Vorobyov, the damaged buildings in the Moscow region. “No one was injured, all necessary assistance will be provided to people, and rapid response services are working on the spot,” the presenter concluded.
In the morning news journal of “Rossia 1” channel, the massive drone attack was given 36 seconds. The television station also limited itself to repeating Sobianin’s statement about the number of downed drones and the attack on the refinery. Other consequences of the attack, including damage to residential buildings in the Moscow region, were not mentioned. Also, the screen did not display the results of the drone strikes and their debris. At the same time, the report was placed between the news about the “terrorist” and “mean” attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a bus in the Bryansk region and the report about Russian attacks on Ukraine and combat actions on the front.
NTV dedicated the most airtime to the drone attack — several minutes and a few seconds. The presenter reported that this attack was the largest in the last two years, presented data provided by Sobianin on the number of downed drones, and discussed restrictions imposed at Moscow airports. The report was longer due to information about attacks on other regions in Russia. However, none of the three federal channels included the topic of the drone attack in the announcement block of the program’s subjects at the start of the broadcasts.
On the night of June 18, Moscow was attacked by 194 Ukrainian drones. The main target was the Moscow refinery, which caught fire as a result of the strike. Because of this, the sky above the Russian capital was covered in smoke, and a black rain fell in the Moscow region. During the attack in the Moscow region, 17 people were injured, including two children. Two apartment buildings were damaged, as well as private homes. During the attack, all airports in the Moscow air hub temporarily suspended their operations. According to data provided by Shot, 527 flights were delayed or cancelled. “Aeroflot” and its subsidiary “Rossiya” alone cancelled over 170 flights to and from the capital.