Ukrainian Drone Attack Claims Life and Injures Dozens in Kursk

A drone strike carried out by Ukraine on an apartment building in the southwestern Russian city of Kursk resulted in one death and 12 injuries, as reported by the acting governor early on Friday.

“Regrettably, a 45-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene,” Governor Alexander Khinshtein mentioned on Telegram. He later informed the press that a total of 12 individuals sustained injuries due to the overnight attack.

Khinshtein inspected the destruction in the city’s eastern administrative district, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Images and videos shared on his channel displayed a severely charred nine-story structure, with Khinshtein stating that a total of 11 buildings and 50 vehicles experienced damage from the blast waves.

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, their air defense systems intercepted drones across nine regions of Russia, including 13 in the Kursk area and over the Sea of Azov.

The governor of Belgorod, a neighboring region, reported that three people suffered injuries from drone attacks that occurred during the night and early morning. Meanwhile, governors from Bryansk and Rostov regions reported property damage but no casualties.

Civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended flights at four regional airports where the military claimed to have intercepted Ukrainian drones.

Additionally, Ukrainian drones targeted a Russian oil refinery situated in the central city of Syzran, approximately 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the frontline.

“The Syzran oil refinery in the Samara region, one of the largest facilities in the Rosneft network, was struck,” said Ukraine’s general staff, referring to the facilities owned by the Russian state-owned energy corporation Rosneft.

The statement indicated that the refinery produced aviation fuel for the Russian military.

Unverified social media images showed numerous fires and thick smoke rising from the site early on Friday morning.

Reporting by AFP also contributed to this information.