Ukraine war: Wagner boss blames Russian military for drone attacks, US aid, nuclear plant attack ban

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has blamed the latest Moscow drone attacks on senior Russian military officers living in the suburbs.  

In a message posted on Telegram, the head of Russia's mercenary group pinpointed the failures of Russia's defence ministry that allowed the drones to reach Moscow. 

"How dare you allow the drones to reach Moscow?" Prigizhin said in his regular aggressive tone. 

“And what do ordinary people do when drones with explosives crash into their windows?” he continued. 

Prigozhin has been a vocal critic of Russia's military and political elite, routinely claiming they were not doing enough to help his fighters in the battle for Bakhmut. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for the drone attacks, accusing the opposition of targeting civilians to evoke mass scare. 

The Russian government has blamed the "terrorist attacks" on Ukraine, while Kyiv denies involvement. 

A US military aid package for Ukraine - expected to be announced this week - will total up to 280 million euros and include drone munitions, US officials said on Tuesday. 

The drone ammunition comes after unmanned aircraft targeted Moscow on Tuesday. 

A US defence official told AP the drone strikes would not affect the weapons aid packages the US is providing Ukraine. 

The new aid package comes at a tense moment in the war, with the latest drone attack following Russia's seizure of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after a nine-month battle.

Ukraine is also showing signs that its long-awaited spring counteroffensive may already be underway, though this cannot be confirmed. 

Washington has maintained an agreement is in place with Ukraine that prevents it from using any US-provided drones to target Russia. 

US officials did not provide