Drone hits crane in Russia's Smolensk courtyard, residents fear collapse PHOTO

A drone struck a construction crane in a residential courtyard in the Russian city of Smolensk, raising concerns among local residents about the risk of it collapsing onto nearby buildings, according to investigative agency ASTRA.

The incident occurred on Chernyakhovskogo Street, where the crane was installed among residential buildings. Images from the scene show charred and deformed sections of the crane’s load-bearing structure.

Residents said an explosion was heard at around 5 a.m., and windows were shattered in five neighbouring buildings. Some also reported damage to vehicles, with one image showing a hole in a car window resembling a projectile impact.

“Don’t the authorities want to answer how such construction was allowed inside a courtyard? Do you even understand what people went through? The crane is damaged and, most likely, will not withstand such weight; the boom is hanging over a neighbouring building. Are we waiting for it to fall?” residents wrote in regional online communities.

Smolensk region governor Vasily Anokhin said the incident was part of a broader drone attack involving 42 UAVs.

“There are no casualties among residents and no damage to industrial infrastructure facilities. Fragments of one of the drones in Smolensk damaged the glazing of several apartment buildings,” Anokhin said.

By Tamilla Hasanova