(Reuters) – The mayor of Voronezh, a city in southern Russia, has declared a state of emergency following a drone attack that officials claim was launched from Ukraine. The attack damaged several buildings and resulted in a child being wounded.
According to Mayor Vadim Kstenin, people from at least one apartment building were evacuated to a nearby school due to the drone debris causing a small fire and shattering windows. He stated that “The introduced state of emergency in the city will … allow for a prompt implementation of measures to replace them.”
The region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, reported on his Telegram channel that a girl was injured when drone debris fell onto her apartment building.
The Russian defense ministry stated on its Telegram channel that five drones were destroyed and three others were intercepted overnight over the Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine, as well as intercepting four drones in the nearby Russian Belgorod region.
Voronezh, a city with a population of over 1 million, is approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the border with Ukraine. There has been no comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has intensified its air attacks in recent months, claiming they target Russian military infrastructure to undermine Moscow’s war efforts.
Russia has an air base near Voronezh city, where some Sukhoi Su-34s bombers are based, as reported by Russian media. Russia often deploys these fighter-bomber aircraft during air strikes on Ukraine.
Russian news outlet Shot reported on Telegram that at least 15 blasts were heard near the air base, and some drone debris fell nearby onto an apartment building. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Jamie Freed and Miral Fahmy)
