Massive drone strike hits Russia's Volgograd, killing one, prompting airports closure

The Russian city of Volgograd has come under a large drone attack, with residents reporting more than 40 explosions overnight as waves of drones targeted the area.

The strikes, which began shortly after 12:40 a.m. local time, shook buildings across the city and continued for several hours, leaving one person dead and causing widespread damage, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media. 

According to local authorities, a 48-year-old man was killed when debris hit a 24-story residential building on Garya Khokholova Street. At least four apartments were destroyed, and windows in nearby buildings were shattered by the blasts.

Fires also broke out in an industrial zone in the Krasnoarmeysky district after drone fragments fell from the sky. Emergency services and bomb disposal teams have been deployed, and a temporary shelter has been opened in a local high school for displaced residents.

Eyewitnesses said the drones appeared to approach from two directions — primarily from the west and north of the city — flying at low altitudes from the direction of the Volga River. The constant humming of engines and flashes in the sky were followed by a series of powerful detonations that residents described as the most intense since the start of the conflict.

In the wake of the overnight attacks, authorities across southern and central Russia imposed sweeping flight restrictions under the “Carpet” plan — a temporary no-fly regime enacted during emergencies.

Airspace closures were introduced in at least 13 regions amid fears of further drone incursions. While restrictions in Penza and Saratov were lifted early in the morning, airspace remains closed over Volgograd, Ivanovo, Ulyanovsk, Yaroslavl, Krasnodar, Samara, Vladikavkaz, Grozny, and Nizhnekamsk.

Orenburg Governor Yevgeny Solntsev confirmed that the plan was activated due to the ongoing threat of drone attacks. The “Carpet” plan can be triggered for various reasons, including dangerous weather, airspace violations, or unmanned aerial threats.

Authorities in several regions — including Volgograd, Rostov, and Tula — also reported that air defence systems were active overnight. 

By Sabina Mammadli