September 21, 2024
Drone attack in Russia’s Krasnodar region prompts evacuations
A large fire in the Tikhoretsky district of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region prompted evacuations after the drone attack.
Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said falling debris from a drone “caused a fire that spread to explosive objects” in the Tikhoretsky district, but no casualties were reported, he said on Telegram.
One village had to be evacuated because of a fire, authorities said, without naming the settlement, citing the risk of explosions.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that it had shot down 101 Ukrainian drones overnight.
“101 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs were destroyed and intercepted by the air defense systems on duty,” it said on Telegram.
Some 53 drones were shot down over the Bryansk region in southwestern Russia, which borders Ukraine. Some 18 drones were intercepted in the Krasnodar region, it added.
Kondratyev later said that at least 1,200 people had been evacuated from Tikhoretsky district.
Russia also temporarily closed the M-9 highway in the western Tver region near the town of Toropets on Saturday to ensure traffic safety. On Wednesday, Toropets was partially evacuated after its ammunition depot was hit by a Ukrainian drone strike and a large fire broke out.
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked targets on Russian soil, including ammunition and fuel depots, to disrupt supplies to Moscow’s troops fighting in Ukraine.
dh/ab (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)