Ukrainian drone attacks spark fires, casualties in Russia

Several Russian regions reported overnight attacks involving unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to regional officials, with damage to infrastructure, casualties in one incident, and temporary airport closures.

In Russia’s Lipetsk Region, the crash of a Ukrainian UAV caused a fire at an industrial facility in the Usman District, Governor Igor Artamonov said on Telegram. Preliminary reports indicate there were no casualties, and emergency services were dispatched to the scene.

In the Penza Region, five Ukrainian UAVs were suppressed by electronic warfare systems, Governor Oleg Melnichenko reported. Emergency response teams are working at the sites where the drones fell. The governor urged residents to remain calm and rely on official information.

Air defence systems also intercepted and destroyed Ukrainian UAVs in several districts of the Rostov Region, including Kamensky, Chertkovsky, Tarasovsky, Bokovsky and Sholokhovsky. Governor Yury Slyusar said the information was confirmed by Russia’s Ministry of Defence, adding that authorities are assessing possible consequences.

A more serious incident was reported in Tver, where a Ukrainian UAV struck a multi-storey residential building, according to Acting Governor Vitaly Korolyov. The drone reportedly hit the window of an apartment on the ninth floor, triggering a fire. Two people were injured and hospitalised, while one person was killed. Emergency services later extinguished the fire.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) announced temporary restrictions on arrivals and departures at airports in Orenburg, Ufa, Nizhnekamsk and Kazan. Similar measures remain in place at airports in Samara, Yaroslavl, Ulyanovsk and Kaluga. Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg also briefly suspended operations during the night of January 6.

By Vugar Khalilov