Fire reported, flights suspended amid drone attack on Russia's Tatarstan
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A fire erupted in the city of Kazan in Russia’s Tatarstan republic overnight on Jan. 20 amid a Ukrainian drone attack on the city, Russian Telegram channels reported.
Videos posted to social media by residents appear to show a large fire ablaze following a drone attack. Rosaviatsiya, the country’s Federal Air Transport Agency, said that Kazan International Airport has suspended flights amid the attack.
Multiple explosions were reported in the city around 5:30 a.m. local time, various Russian Telegram media channels reported. Preliminary reports indicate that the explosions and fire originated in the Aviastroitelny district of the city, which is the home to an aviation college and several aviation factories.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reporting.
Kazan – lying over 900 kilometers (560 miles) east of the Ukrainian border – is located in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, which has previously been the target of Ukrainian drone strikes.
Ukraine has regularly attempted to disrupt Russia’s military supply-chain through the use of drone attack. The country’s forces regularly target oil refineries that contribute to Russia’s war effort.
Overnight on Jan. 18, Ukrainian forces attacked oil depots in Russia’s Tula and Kaluga oblasts, according to the General Staff and the Kyiv Independent’s source in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
The Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk