On the morning of June 8, a UAV (drone) attack was reported in Voronezh, Russia. The UAV crashed into a residential block of flats, slightly injuring three people, according to Russian social media. A number of media outlets specified that the drone flew into the house after Russian air defense forces attempted to shoot it down.
“A downed drone crashed and exploded into an apartment building in Voronezh” the first reports in Russian Telegram channels stated. Locals reported two explosions and posted photos of the damaged multi-story building online. Later on, Russian media outlets said that a nearby private house had also sustained damage.
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Crashed musty-story building in Voronezh.
Photo credit Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti
An official statement, by the region's governor, Aleksandr Gusev, said that “according to preliminary reports, a drone crashed on Belinskogo Street in Voronezh”; he avoided mentioning that the UAV had struck a multi-story building.
“The drone was flying towards the aircraft factory; air-defense jammed it, it went off course, and flew into an apartment building. Three people were injured; shards of glass hit them,” according to a local blogger.
Gusev said that the room where the drone hit was empty - thanks to which casualties were avoided.
“The three lightly injured were treated, and no hospitalization was required. There were no fatalities. Experts on the spot are deciding whether the house or the entryway needs to be removed. The rest of the measures will be decided at a meeting today under my leadership.”
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Russian presidential spokesman Dmitriy Peskov immediately blamed Kyiv as being responsible for “continuous attacks on civilian infrastructure,” commenting on the drone crash.
“We saw reports that it had been shot down. A drone has already been shot down there. The details are being clarified, and special services are working”.
Russian media, citing Russian special services, identified three possible targets for the drone.
“The special services are considering several possible targets of the drone that went down in Voronezh. In addition to the Baltimore airfield (4.5 km from the crash site), an aviation enterprise (Voronezh Aircraft Plant is 3.5 km away). It could also have been aimed at the building of the Regional Federal Security Service, located only 300 meters from the explosion site.”
Russia's state Investigative Committee, which handles serious crimes, said it had opened a criminal case against “persons acting in the interests of the military-political leadership of Ukraine.”
There was no official reaction from Ukraine, which traditionally does not comment on military operations inside Russian territory.
Drone strikes inside Russia have recently become a frequent occurrence, but they more typically happen in areas closer to Ukraine. Voronezh has a population of more than a million people and lies about 180 km from the Ukrainian border.
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