Residents in the small town of Kirevsk, located just over 200 kilometers from Moscow, were left shaken on Sunday after a Ukrainian drone caused an explosion, injuring at least three people. The blast also damaged three residential buildings and four houses. According to Russian security forces, the drone responsible has been identified as a Russian-made Tu-141, with the remains having already been located. Despite the panic caused, the local government has stated that there is no threat to the population’s safety or civil infrastructure.
The Tula region, where the explosion took place, has long been known for its military factories, which have produced weaponry and ammunition for the Russian army since the early 1700s. This is not the only recent drone attack on Russian soil. On Wednesday, the Russian Navy reportedly repelled an attempted drone attack on the port of Sevastopol in Crimea.
Earlier this week, Crimean authorities also reported a drone strike on the town of Dzhankoi, a railway hub which Russia uses to supply arms to the annexed Ukrainian regions of Jershon and Zaporiyia. While Russia and Ukraine have been in conflict since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, both countries have initially refrained from using drones in their battles. The increased use of unmanned aircraft to carry out attacks marks a worrying shift in the conflict and threatens to destabilize the region further.