Russia said on Saturday that Ukraine carried out drone strikes in several regions of Russia, including two residential houses in the Tambov region that were hit and at least three people injured.
People were treated for injuries caused by broken windows caused by a drone strike on two houses in the city of Kotovsk, about 480 kilometers southeast of Moscow, regional head Evgeny Pervishov said on the Telegram messaging app.
He said buildings were only slightly damaged, residents were offered temporary housing, and evacuations were not required.
“Three (people) suffered injuries from shards of broken windows, the other four suffered from high blood pressure,” he said.
Separately, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 85 Ukrainian drones overnight in several regions of the country, including 31 drones over the Black Sea, 16 each over the Voronezh and Krasnodar regions and over the Sea of Azov. 14 drones were involved.
Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said airports in the cities of Kazan, Nizhnekamsk and Ulyanovsk in the Volga River regions temporarily suspended flights.
Later, flight suspension was also announced in the city of Saratov to ensure safety.
Russia launched 74 drones over Ukraine overnight, shooting down 47 of them, while 27 others disappeared from radar without reaching their targets, Kiev’s air force said in a statement Saturday morning.
Both sides in the Ukraine conflict have converted cheap commercial drones into deadly weapons and increased their production.
Russian and Ukrainian soldiers alike have reported internalized fear of drones, and both sides have used video footage of deadly drone strikes in their propaganda.
On Friday, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a missile attack on a supermarket in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
