(Reuters) – The mayor of the southern Russian city of Voronezh declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after what officials said was a Ukraine-launched drone attack that damaged several buildings and wounded a child.
People from at least one apartment building were evacuated to a nearby school after drone debris sparked a small fire and blew out windows, Mayor Vadim Kstenin said on the Telegram messaging app.
Windows in other buildings were also shattered, he said, adding: “The introduced state of emergency in the city will … allow for a prompt implementation of measures to replace them.”
The governor of the region, Alexander Gusev, said on his Telegram channel that a girl was injured when drone debris fell onto her apartment building.
On its Telegram channel, the Russian defence ministry said it had destroyed five drones and intercepted three others overnight over the Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine. Voronezh city is the administrative centre of the region.
The ministry also said that it intercepted four drones in the nearby Russian Belgorod region.
Voronezh, a city of more than 1 million people, lies some 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the border with Ukraine.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has intensified its air attacks in recent months in what it says are strikes targeting 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, according to Russian media. Russia often deploys the 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)
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