Russian airports in Kazan and Saratov were closed after what were thought to be Ukrainian drone strikes.
- Eight drones struck Kazan, but no one was hurt.
- Both Russia and Ukraine say that drones have intercepted important messages.
State-run news sources said that two major Russian airports were closed early Saturday morning because of claimed drone attacks from Ukraine.
The Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia temporarily stopped planes from landing and taking off at Kazan International Airport and Gagarin Airport in Saratov, both in the southwest of Russia.
Unexpectedly, Kazan, which is more than 600 miles from places held by Ukraine, and Saratov, which is more than 350 miles away, were both attacked.
The news office for Tatarstan said that eight drones attacked Kazan, but no one was hurt. According to Tass, “one was at an industrial enterprise, one was over a river, and six were aimed at residential areas.”
Kazan’s mayor, Ilsur Metshin, admitted that fires broke out in homes in three city areas, which is why some schools had to be evacuated.
The leader of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, called what happened on Telegram a “massive UAV attack.”
He gave people peace of mind by saying, “All forces have been deployed.” Do not worry. That is the most important thing. Our instructions to the government are to quickly let people know about escape spots.
What did Russia do about the drone attacks?
- Six Ukrainian drones were shot down over Kazan, according to the Defense Ministry.
- Three drones were hit and killed.
- Electronic warfare was used to stop three of them.
- In total, 19 Ukrainian drones have been caught flying over Russian airspace.
Russia said it had shot down 19 Ukrainian drones inside its own borders. On the other hand, Ukraine’s air force said that Russia sent 113 drones into Ukraine overnight. 57 drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, and 56 were lost to active defenders.
On Saturday morning, air raid sirens could be heard all over Ukraine, and officials warned that nuclear weapons could be used across the country.
Presidential spokesman Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that recent attacks destroyed a cancer center in Kherson and hurt buildings in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.
Attacks with ballistic missiles happened in Kyiv, and areas like Sumy, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk were shelled. Seven people were hurt in Zaporizhzhia and six were hurt in Kharkiv.
Zelenskyy called the strikes “Russian terror” and thanked Britain, France, and other countries that helped Ukraine. He told us, “Together, through our collective strength, we will secure a lasting peace.”
These attacks come after a missile and drone attack on Kyiv last Friday, which killed at least one person and did a lot of damage to the city center.
Damage was also done to foreign missions. Ukrainian officials called the attack “barbaric.”
