Ukraine war: Russia compares Moscow drone attack to 9/11

Officials in Russia have compared the second drone attack in Moscow's business district to 9/11, describing the strike by Ukraine as a "terrorist attack".

The 42-storey, IQ-Quarter tower was hit by a drone strike for the second time in three days, with other drones shot down, in what appears to be an escalation in attacks on tactical targets by Ukraine.

Despite there being no reported casualties in the drone strike, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova compared the tactics used to those in the terror attack on America's Twin Towers on 9/11.

"Let's take a look at another example: the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers. It caused an enormous number of casualties but the methods were the same," she said in an interview with Soloviev Live TV channel.

Read more: Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kremlin likens Moscow skyscraper attack to 9/11

"The Moscow City district is a civilian site, which only hosts offices and a business centre, along with living quarters - a great number of residential apartments - as well as civilian administrative buildings that have nothing to do with the military."

"We are seeing the same picture now as if it is repeating itself."

The drone strike caused damage to the facade of the 21st floor as well as to 150 square metres of glazing, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a Telegram post.

Employees based in the district are now working remotely while infrastructure damage is being assessed.

The strike came as Ukraine reported an attack on a hospital in Kherson that left one doctor dead; a drone strike by Russia in student housing in Kharkiv that razed the top two floors of the building; and dozens of heavy artillery strikes near Kyiv, the Financial Times reported.

A Ukrainian political adviser said the Moscow drone strike was an indicator that Russia was unable to protect its privileged class from the effects of the Ukraine invasion.

Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, wrote on social media: "The Moskva-City high-rises were a symbol of Russian economic flourishing and success, as well as Russia’s integration into global economy. After the second drone attack they will symbolise failure of the “special military operation” and lies of the Kremlin regime that promised and keeps promising Moscow residents complete protection.

"Those who work in Moskva-City towers are the privileged class of government officials and business people. They saw with their own eyes that Russian authorities are incapable of and cannot protect even their social group. There is no air defence, air raid alerts, bomb shelters for them. Russia is unprotected. Everything that is going on in Russia and Moscow is a clear consequence of the full-scale war that Russia wages."