- Russia accused Ukraine drone of hitting its center city
- Three people were injured in the explosion
- A building and neighboring apartments were destroyed
A Ukrainian-operated drone caused an explosion in the center of a Russian city, injuring three persons and destroying three residential structures, according to the Tass news agency, which cited a law enforcement source and emergency services.
Kyiv has repeatedly refuted Russian claims that its drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), have caused harm to civilian facilities on Russian territory. The explosion happened in the heart of Kireyevsk, some 230 kilometers (140 miles) south of Moscow.
Ukraine Drone Allegedly Injures 3 People
According to Russian news outlets, none of the three persons injured in the explosion are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. The explosion, which happened at around 3.20 p.m. local time, created a massive crater in the center of Kireyevsk, a spokesperson of the local emergency services told Tass.
Videos and images on social media depicted a muddy crater beside a building with a severely damaged roof and walls. A neighboring apartment building's stairway was littered with shards of glass from smashed windows, as per SCMP.
The photographs could not be confirmed immediately. Russia has previously recorded drone assaults in other places, some hundreds of kilometers from its border with Ukraine.
On December 26, three members of the Russian airforce were killed when a drone thought to be Ukrainian was shot down at the major base for Russia's strategic bombers in the city of Saratov after flying hundreds of kilometers through Russian airspace.
The explosion, which happened at about 3:20 p.m. (12:20 GMT), created a massive crater in the center of Kireyevsk, according to a local emergency services spokesperson who spoke to TASS. Videos and images on social media depicted a muddy crater beside a building with a severely damaged roof and walls. A neighboring apartment building's stairway was littered with shards of glass from smashed windows.
The photographs could not be immediately verified by Reuters. Russia has previously recorded drone assaults in other places, some hundreds of kilometers (miles) from its border with Ukraine.
On December 26, three members of the Russian air force were killed when a drone suspected to be Ukrainian was shot down at the main base for Russia's strategic bombers in the city of Saratov after flying hundreds of kilometers through Russian airspace.
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Ukraine Urges UN to Fight Russia's 'Nuclear Blackmail'
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government asked for an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Sunday to "fight the Kremlin's nuclear blackmail" after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced intentions to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. A Ukrainian official asserted that Russia had "taken Belarus as a nuclear prisoner."
According to Russian officials, Russia's intention to post tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is a response to the West's expanding military backing for Ukraine. Putin disclosed the proposal in a television interview broadcast on Saturday, explaining that it was prompted by the United Kingdom's decision last week to equip Ukraine with depleted uranium-tipped armor-piercing shells.
Putin said that by stationing tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russia followed the United States' example. He stated that the United States maintains nuclear arsenals in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
Ukraine has not commented on the incident that occurred in Russia on Sunday. According to media sources, it created a crater around 15 meters (50 feet) in diameter and five meters (16 feet) deep.
According to the Russian state-run news service Tass, the drone has been identified as a Ukrainian Tu-141. During the war, similar drone assaults were regular, but Ukraine seldom acknowledged culpability. On Monday, Russia claimed that Ukrainian drones had struck civilian facilities in the Crimean town of Dzhankoi.
The Ukrainian military stated that several Russian cruise missiles were destroyed but did not claim responsibility. In December, the Russian army claimed multiple Ukrainian drone assaults on sites for long-range bombers deep within Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the drones were shot down but admitted that their debris damaged several planes and killed several service members. In addition, Russian police have recorded tiny drone assaults in the border districts of Bryansk and Belgorod.
Per News18, Putin stated on Saturday that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has long requested the return of nuclear weapons to oppose NATO. Belarus shares borders with three NATO countries - Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland - and on February 24, 2022, Russia utilized Belarusian territory as a staging area to send soldiers into Ukraine.
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