Drones have struck high-rise residential buildings in Kazan, the capital of Russia's Tatarstan republic, in a wave of attacks that have forced the city's airport to temporarily suspend flights.
Russia's Defense Ministry said the attacks occurred in three waves between 7:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. local time on December 21.
The press service of Rustam Minnikhanov, the leader of the autonomous republic of Tatarstan, said in a statement that eight drones attacked the city. According to the communiqué, six of them hit residential buildings, one hit an industrial facility and another fell on a river.
The Russian ministry claimed the drones were of Ukrainian origin, while Ukrainian authorities have not commented.
According to a telegram message from the office of the mayor of Kazan, the residential area in three districts of the city were targeted by drones.
Footage on social media shows several instances of drones hitting high-rise buildings and bursting into flames.
Students are evacuated from schools
Radio Free Europe's Tatar-Bashkir service reported that students were evacuated from schools in the Soviet oblast of Kazan and that sirens could be heard in the city.
There has been no official announcement on the number of victims.
According to Interfax, the mayor of Kazan, Ilsur Metshin, said that people have been evacuated from the affected buildings and are being provided with shelter and food.
Kazan is located about 800 kilometers east of Moscow.
In a statement, Russia's Defense Ministry said a "Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down over the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan by air defense forces on duty."
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement that "temporary restrictions have been imposed at Kazan Airport on the morning of December 21 to ensure the safety of civil flights."
In the past, the targets of Ukrainian drone attacks have been Russian military and industrial sites in the region./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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