Videos of the Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Kazan, showing strikes on several residential high-rise buildings, went viral on social media and Telegram channels on Saturday.
Russian state media confirmed the attack, reporting eight drone impacts, with six hitting residential buildings in Kazan, located about 800 kilometers east of Moscow.
Local officials reported no injuries or fatalities from the incident, which prompted emergency services to respond and evacuate residents.
Russia’s aviation watchdog, Rosaviatsia, announced via Telegram that Kazan airport had temporarily suspended all flight arrivals and departures.
The Kazan airport in Russia suspended all incoming and outgoing flights on Saturday, as announced by Rosaviatsia, the Russian aviation authority, through Telegram, following a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle strike on the city.
The Baza Telegram channel, known for its connections to Russian security organisations has also shared an unconfirmed video content depicting an aerial device striking a tall building, resulting in a significant explosion.
Rosaviatsia additionally implemented temporary flight limitations at Izhevsk airport, located in a smaller urban centre northeast of Kazan.
Attack on Kursk region resulted in five deaths, twelve injuries
Earlier on Friday Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over deadly missile strikes. Moscow reported that a missile attack on its Kursk border region killed five people, while an earlier strike on Kyiv left one man dead.
According to news agency Reuters, Governor Alexander Khinshtein said that Ukraine targeted Rylsk, a small town in Russia’s Kursk region, resulting in five deaths and twelve injuries.
Khinshtein stated that Kyiv employed US-provided HIMARS rocket systems to strike civilian facilities, including a school and a pilot training college dormitory.
Last year, Russia accused Ukraine of using cluster munitions to attack a town of approximately 15,000 residents located about 20 miles (30 km) from the border.
Ukraine downs 57 drones overnight
Ukrainian military officials reported successfully intercepting and destroying 57 Russian drones during a nighttime assault. Additionally, they confirmed that 56 other Russian drones failed to strike their intended destinations.
Ukraine’s air force also reported that Russia launched five Iskander missiles at Kyiv, all of which were successfully intercepted. However, falling debris caused damage in several districts.
Although Russian aerial attacks frequently target the capital, significant damage is rare due to Kyiv’s robust air defense system, nearly three years into Russia’s invasion.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry confirmed damage to a building housing multiple embassies, including those of Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, Montenegro, and Albania’s diplomatic mission.
‘He thinks it’s ‘interesting’… Dumbass’
Earlier during a press conference on Thursday, Putin proposed testing his assertion about Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile’s defence-penetrating capabilities over Kyiv.
“Let them set some target to be hit, let’s say in Kyiv,” he said, Reuters reported.
“They will concentrate there all their air defences. And we will launch an Oreshnik strike there and see what happens.”
In response, Zelensky remarked: “People are dying and he thinks it’s ‘interesting’… Dumbass.”