Krasnodar-Russia (rusiakuban)
STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. Two drones crashed and exploded in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar early Friday morning, local authorities reported.
“The crash of two drones was the cause of this morning’s incident on Morskaya St. in the regional capital. There is damage to buildings, but critical infrastructure has not been affected,” Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said no one had been injured in the explosions.
Multiple videos shared on social media showed at least one unmanned drone flying over Krasnodar, which is over 300 kilometers from the frontlines in Ukraine, before crashing in a fireball in the city center.
It is not clear whether the drones were shot down. Attacks on Russian regions near the border with Ukraine have become increasingly frequent in recent weeks as Russia’s forces brace for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Witnesses in Krasnodar reported hearing two explosions, according to the Baza Telegram channel, which is believed to have links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies.
And the Shot Telegram channel published photographs of what it claimed was the wreckage of one drone, while also speculating that the target may have been a cell tower in the city center.
The explosions in Krasnodar follow similar incidents in other Russian regions bordering Ukraine over the past day.
A Ukrainian missile was reportedly downed near an airbase in the Rostov region overnight and there were apparent drone attacks in the Bryansk and Belgorod regions.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Friday that five districts in the region were attacked by drones, mortars and artillery fire, but said no one had been injured in the strikes. Since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last year, regions across Russia have regularly undergone drone attacks.
Earlier this month, an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was attacked by two drones, causing a large fire.
