Russia-Ukraine war – latest: Kremlin declares state of emergency in border city after kamikaze drone attack
The mayor of a southern Russian city near the border with Ukraine has declared a state of emergency after what officials said was a Kyiv-launched drone attack that damaged several buildings and wounded two children.
Vadim Kstenin, the mayor of Voronezh City, claimed that nearly three dozen apartments had been damaged in the drone attack overnight.
Russian news outlet Shot reported on Telegram that at least 15 blasts were heard near an air base just outside the city, while some drone debris fell nearby onto an apartment building. Footage posted by the governor of Voronezh has since appeared to show that building.
The Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) claimed they destroyed five drones in the region, which is roughly 170 miles from the border with Ukraine, and intercepted three more.
“I ask Voronezh residents not to worry – we are introducing a state of emergency so that we can quickly make decisions,” wrote Kstenin. The governor of the region, Alexander Gusev, claimed an 11-year-old girl was injured in the attack. Amother six-year-old boy was also injured, his mother has claimed.
Ukraine has not commented on the strike. The air base near Voronezh City is known host to some Sukhoi Su-34s bombers, according to Russian media. The Kremlin often deploys fighter-bomber aircraft during air strikes on Ukraine.
