Russia has declared a state of emergency after a torrent of kamikaze drones attacked a key Putin airbase.
At least 16 explosions rung through the night in Russia’s border city of Voronezh after air defence systems reportedly intercepted the incoming aerial vehicles.
Video footage shows how fire ignited on the upper floor of an apartment building that was hit near the base.
A frightened female voice can be heard saying: “Mother of God, we’ve got to get the hell out of it.”
The Mayor of Voronezh, Vadim Kstenin, said: “People were evacuated, a nearby school was opened for them so that they could warm up.
“All services are in place and working.
“I ask everyone not to touch and not to approach the [drone] debris and fragments.
“We will repair the damage, and give people the opportunity to return home as soon as possible.”
A 10-year-old girl sustained cut wounds to her arm, leg and neck.
Windows were smashed in several apartment blocks near the air base.
Officials later said 35 apartments in three 10-story buildings were damaged by falling debris from the drones.
“An attack by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles has been repelled over Voronezh by air defence forces on duty,” said regional governor Alexander Gusev.
“A fire on a balcony was extinguished in one apartment block.
“Windows were broken in two more apartment blocks and a number of private houses.
“Operational services are already working on the ground.”
The Russian defence ministry claimed to have shot down five aircraft-type drones, and intercepted another three.
Another four were reportedly intercepted over the Belgorod border region.
Voronezh, a city of more than one million people, borders Russian-occupied regions Donetsk and Luhansk – some 155 miles from the border with Ukraine.
The region is separated from Ukraine by Belgorod, which has increasingly been subject to drone and missile strikes over the last few weeks.
In his end-of-year address, Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to do everything in his power to secure victory against Russia.
He coupled his vow to intensify their strikes against Russia with a promise to produce one million drones.
“We will do everything to make it so,” he said.
On Monday, one of Ukraine’s UAVs was able to destroy one of Putin’s multi-million-pound tanks on the battlefield in Avdiivka.
Shocking footage showed how the drone was able to focus on the fast-moving £3.2million T-80BVM tank, and slam straight into it.
The successful hit came just after two of Vladimir Putin’s most crucial planes worth £290million were shot down on Sunday.
One of Putin’s $350 million spy planes disappeared, while a $45 million bomber jet was set on fire after Ukrainian forces blasted them out the sky above the Azov Sea.
Russian telegram channel, Military Informant, claimed it was a “new” and particularly effective “miracle” weapon given to Ukraine by NATO.
The channel described the aircraft hits as “another dark day for the Russian air forces”.
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