Drones attack elite high-rise buildings in Russia's Kazan, explosions heard at gunpowder plant

Russian Telegram channels and media report.

Videos posted online show a drone hitting the upper floors of the building. Before that, locals also heard explosions. Later it became known that a second drone hit the high-rise.

Later, it was reported that three buildings in Kazan had already been damaged by drone attacks: the 37-story Blue Sky residential complex, the 23-story Manhattan residential complex, and a 5-story residential building.

It is noted that the residents are being taken out of the building. The fire continues there. However, no injuries have been reported so far.

Later, the Kazan City Hall confirmed the fires in buildings in three districts - Sovetsky, Kirovsky and Privolzhsky - after the UAV attack.

RBC-Russia, citing a representative of Rosaviatsiya, writes that as of this morning, Kazan airport is not accepting or sending flights, the restrictions have been imposed “to ensure flight safety.”

The press service of the head of Tatarstan, Rustam Minikhanov, reported that in the morning only eight arrivals were recorded, including one at an industrial enterprise, one over the river, and six at a residential area. According to him, there were no deaths or injuries in Kazan. At the same time, local media reported at least three wounded.

Also, all mass events in the republic have been canceled for the next two days "to ensure security".

Based on its analysis, ASTRA claims that the targets of the drone attacks in Kazan may have been the gunpowder and helicopter factories, military unit 58661, and the airfield of the aircraft factory. The Kazan Gunpowder Plant is located about 3 km from the five-story building on Klara Tsetkin Street that was hit by one of the drones. The helicopter plant is about 6 km away, and the airfield of the aviation plant is about 8 km away. The Blue Sky residential complex is about 13 km from the military unit 58661.

As of 2:30 p.m., residents of Kazan reported hearing explosions coming from the gunpowder plant. According to them, the explosions began after the UAV attack. At the same time, the company claims that it is conducting scheduled tests, which are expected to continue until 4 p.m. Local authorities have introduced a state of emergency for the authorities and the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

• The night before, on December 21, Russians also complained of a drone attack. They allegedly shot down 19 drones over four regions and the Black Sea.