Ukraine Launches One Of Its Largest Attacks Against Moscow, Again Targets One Of Its Largest Companies

Ukraine launched more than 600 drones at Moscow, mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Tuesday, in one of the largest attacks against the country since the war began more than four years ago.

The governor of the Moscow Region, Andrey Vorobyov, said at least three people were injured in the attack. Damage was also reported in residential properties and a shopping center, as well as a warehouse belonging to e-commerce giant Wildberries, known as the country's Amazon.

The company, however, said in a social media post that a "logistics facility" suffered "minor damage" after drone debris hit the wall of a building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is gearing up to escalate the war, calling on allies and partners to increase pressure on Moscow and ramp up support for Kyiv.

The president has been making louder calls for assistance over the past weeks, warning of Moscow's escalation and his country's lack of defensive equipment. He also said that between 30,000 and 50,000 North Korean troops are being deployed in Russia as part of the war.

Ballistic missile defense has been an ongoing vulnerability for Ukraine and there are indications that Russia intends to step up its ballistic missile attacks. Reuters detailed that North Korea deployed a ballistic missile unit in Russia that could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers.

As for Russia, recent reports have claimed that the country's economy is showing cracks. The chief economist of the country's state-controlled development bank VEB was fired after presenting a report warning that the country would face a large social crisis as a result of the continued economic impact of the war.

CNBC detailed that Andrei Klepach said Russia can't win a prolonged war of attrition after more than four years of military conflict.

"I believe Russia won't collapse, but I'm almost certain that we'll end up in a social crisis. We won't collapse economically, but our lag will widen, with all the ensuing consequences," he said in a May presentation. The content, however, was reported more recently.

The outlet cited independent Russian outlet The Bell, which cited unnamed sources who claimed that the firing was directly linked to the assessment.

The Russian embassy to the UK told CNBC that the country's fiscal position is "significantly stronger" than those of some Western countries. "The Russian economy remains resilient, as does the will of our people," a spokesperson said.

"Attempts to undermine Russia through economic pressure have not produced the results their authors expected," the spokesperson added.

Another report claimed that analysts worry that the country's shaky economy could actually lead President Vladimir Putin to escalate the war in Ukraine even further.

CNBC noted in another report that so far Russia's economy has performed slightly better than expected, experiencing some growth despite economic sanctions and its ongoing war against Ukraine. But the economy is being propped up by military spending, high taxes, and subsidized bank lending.

Analysts worry that the Russian economy's overall shakiness might lead Russia to take aggressive action in a desperate attempt to end the war as soon as possible.

"If I were Putin, God forbid, I would probably decide that it is in my interest to escalate now and try to finish the war on my terms, than wait until the money ends sometime in the future," Alex Kolyandr, director for Europe at consulting firm Eurasia Group, told the outlet.