Russia announced a state of emergency in Voronezh, a city on the border with Ukraine, after a major drone attack hit an airbase there.
At least 16 blasts rocked the area and one building was struck despite air defences trying to stop the drones.
A video captured a blaze in a flat near the base, during which a woman can be heard screaming: “Mother of God, we’ve got to get the hell out of it.”
Voronezh is the main city near the Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine. The Baltimore airbase, home to bombers used in Ukraine, is close by.
Local news said: “One of the targets of the Ukrainian Armed Forces drones could be the Baltimore airfield. It is located next to Teplichnaya Street, where the drone’s debris [fell].”
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Russia hasn’t officially confirmed any damage at the airbase. The attacks happened in two waves, at around 2am and 5am.
Voronezh’s Mayor, Vadim Kstenin, said: “People were evacuated, and a nearby school was opened for them so that they could warm up. All services are in place and working.”
He added: “I ask everyone not to touch and not to approach the [drone] debris and fragments. We will repair the damage, and give people the opportunity to return home as soon as possible.”
A 10-year-old girl got cuts on her arm, leg and neck, according to Russian authorities. Windows in several flats near the air base were broken.
Officials said that 35 flats in three big buildings were damaged by debris from falling drones. The Russian defence ministry said it had shot down at least five drone-like aircraft. Four more were reportedly stopped over the Belgorod border area.
“An attack by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles has been repelled over Voronezh by air defence forces on duty,” said regional governor Alexander Gusev.
He added: “A fire on a balcony was extinguished in one apartment block. Windows were broken in two more apartment blocks and a number of private houses. Operational services are already working on the ground.”
Voronezh, a city of more than one million people, lies some 155 miles from the border with Ukraine.
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