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Russia says Ukrainian drone injures five at Kursk railway station

August 20, 2023
A fire resulting from an alleged drone strike on a railway station in Kursk, Russia.
A fire resulting from an alleged drone strike on a railway station in Kursk, Russia.

MOSCOW — Russia says that a Ukrainian drone has struck a railway station in the Kursk region, injuring five people.

Another drone is said to have landed in the Rostov region — which shares a border with Ukraine, like Kursk — but no injuries were reported.

Russia also said it stopped a drone that was heading for Moscow, which then crashed in an unpopulated area.

Allegations of drone strikes inside Russia have become increasingly common in recent months.

Although Ukraine hasn’t claimed responsibility for specific drone strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously said that attacks on Russian territory are an “inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process”.

Footage verified by the BBC shows smashed windows and a fire burning at the railway station in Kursk, which is about 150 km (93 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Five people were injured by glass fragments, Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency reported. The roof, exterior, and platform of the station were damaged.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns” the drone attack in Kursk.

“Ukrainian nationalists literally dealt a blow to our common history,” Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

In its own statement, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had “thwarted” an “attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by drone on infrastructure in Moscow” around 04:00 local time (01:00 GMT).

The Moscow-bound drone was destroyed by “electronic warfare” before losing control and crashing in an unpopulated area, the Ministry added.

Russia’s aviation agency Rosaviatsia said flights to the Domodedovo and Vnukovo international airports were “temporarily limited” as a result.

It comes after seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when a Russian missile struck a theatre in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday.

Fifteen children were among 148 people wounded, officials said. President Zelensky vowed to “respond to Russia for this terrorist attack — a tangible answer”. — BBC


August 20, 2023
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