Dozens of civilians were injured and residential buildings damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Voronezh in southern Russia, local authorities have reported.
Voronezh Region Governor Aleksandr Gusev relayed in a series of statements on Tuesday that Russian air defenses had destroyed 12 UAVs over the regional capital and three districts overnight.
However, debris from the downed drones inflicted casualties on the ground, including in the center of Voronezh, he said. According to the official, a total of 24 people sustained injuries, including four minors, with 17 victims hospitalized.
While most of the victims are being treated for minor shrapnel wounds, a 56-year-old man was left in a coma and another suffered lung damage as a result of the drone attack, the governor said.
An eyewitness video from one of the impact scenes shows two burning cars and a civilian with an injured leg sitting nearby with blood spattered around him.
The kamikaze UAVs also damaged 15 residential buildings, a business center, and commercial buildings, as well as several vehicles, Gusev said.
The governor promised to pay compensation to those affected by the incident.
Russian air defenses destroyed a total of 55 Ukrainian drones overnight, with more than half downed over the border region of Belgorod, according to the defense ministry.
Ukraine has been conducting UAV strikes deep into Russia for months, often targeting civilians, residential buildings, and critical infrastructure. Moscow has branded the attacks “terrorist.”