On Friday morning, a drone crashed into a residential building on Belinskogo Street in Voronezh, Russia. This is the first such incident in the city, although drone attacks have occurred in many regions of Russia in recent months.
Governor Alexander Gusev of the Voronezh region reported two injured individuals after the incident, which later increased to three. According to the governor, there is no need to evacuate the building, as repairs will only take a few days.
Citing sources in the security forces, the TASS news agency reported that the drone was attempting to attack the Voronezh aircraft factory but was jammed by electronic countermeasures. However, there is no independent confirmation of this information.
The Voronezh aircraft factory, which is part of the United Aircraft Corporation, is located several kilometers away from the residential building on the other side of the river, as reported by the Dozhd TV channel (recognized as a "foreign agent" in Russia).
The Kremlin linked the drone's entry into a residential building in Voronezh to the "activities of the Kyiv regime." Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian president, stated, "We are aware of the reports that it was shot down, but details are being clarified, and the special services are working on it."
Ukraine has not commented on the incident in Voronezh. Kyiv has never officially claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case on terrorism following the drone's penetration of the residential building in Voronezh. The agency claims that the attack, carried out by individuals acting in the interests of the military-political leadership of Ukraine, involved an explosive-laden drone.
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Since late spring, reports of drone attacks in Russian regions bordering Ukraine have increased. The most frequently targeted regions are Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk. However, in the past couple of weeks, there have also been incidents in the Rostov region and Krasnodar Krai. At the end of May, drones hit three residential buildings in Moscow.