An alleged Ukrainian drone attack has left three people injured and a building damaged in the Russian city of Kireyevsk. Russian authorities have blamed a Tu-141 drone from Ukraine for the explosion. The drone, which dates back to the Soviet era, was reintroduced to Ukraine in 2014. Ukrainian authorities have denied the accusations, saying that the country’s drones never attack civilian targets on Russian territory.
The explosion occurred at about 3:20 p.m. (local time) in downtown Kireyevsk, located 175 kilometers south of Moscow and approximately 300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. None of the injured are in mortal danger. Videos and photographs have been shared on social networks, showing the damage to the surrounding area.
Russia has previously denounced drone attacks on multiple cities, some of which were located hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Last December, three officials from the Russian Aerospace Forces died in a similar incident in Saratov.
It is important to note that Russia also attacks civilian infrastructure in Ukraine with drones on a daily basis. The veracity of the videos and photographs shared on social media has yet to be independently verified. Ukrainian authorities have not yet responded to the accusations.