Huge plumes of smoke and fierce fires erupted into the skies above the Russian city of Voronezh last night. Local residents in the southwestern Russian city recorded the devastating aftermath of an overnight Ukrainian drone strike.
Videos showing a large fire in which explosions can clearly be heard were shared across Telegram.
The explosive attack reportedly blew up an ammunition depot – the second time a drone strike has hit an ammunition depot in Voronezh in just two weeks.
At the end of August, Ukrainian drones managed to blow up almost 5,000 tonnes of Russian weapons. Following this attack, explosions and fires continued for almost two days.
This latest attack shows another failure of Russian defences, heaping pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin amid questions over whether he can protect his territory from Kyiv.
Last night’s attack sparked panic in Voronezh, with the regional governor Aleksandr Gusev ordering the mass evacuation of more than 600 people, including several entire villages.
While Mr Gusev confirmed the attack, the Russian Defense Ministry only reported on a failed drone attack from Ukraine in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
Governor Gusev said on Telegram that the fire in the region’s Ostrogoz district was caused by debris from a drone downed on Saturday morning.
However, users on Telegram pointed out that if the drones were downed, they somehow still managed to strike their targets.
The regional chief said that no injuries were reported, while emergency services and local authorities were at the scene. He also urged residents not to approach the site of the fire or share images of its location.
Ukrainian forces have previously targeted military airfields, oil refineries, and ammunition depots in Voronezh Oblast.
In June, an explosion at a fuel depot unleashed a huge fire which lasted for several days.
The drone strikes are aimed at damaging Russia’s military infrastructure and oil industry.
Meanwhile, the US has frustrated Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky after US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, dismissed the idea that deep strikes inside Russia were a game-changer in the war.
This comes after Mr Zelensky on Friday repeated his plea for Western nations to supply more long-range missiles and lift restrictions on using them to hit targets inside Russia
Secretary Austin shut this down, saying that there is “no one capability” that would turn the war in Ukraine in Kyiv’s favour.
