Drone reportedly strikes business center in Russia's Voronezh as fires break out across city
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Editor's note: This is a developing story.
A drone reportedly struck a business center in the Russian city of Voronezh early on Oct. 26, as explosions and fires were reported across the city amid an ongoing drone attack, independent Russian media outlet ASTRA reported.
Footage published by ASTRA appears to show a drone exploding at the Chizhov Gallery business center, a 25-story building in central Voronezh.
Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ also published imagery of the reported attack.
ASTRA further reported fires in residential areas, having received eyewitness photographs and videos that identified locations near apartment buildings where explosions occurred.
Voronezh Oblast Governor Aleksandr Gusev confirmed that Russian air defenses responded to a drone attack over Voronezh and its surrounding areas on the morning of Oct. 26.
According to ASTRA, a drone threat was announced at approximately 3 a.m. local time, followed by a missile warning about two hours later.
Reports mentioned numerous explosions across the city and thick smoke rising from several locations. Some residents told ASTRA that they had not heard air raid sirens despite the ongoing attack.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the extent of the damage or whether the explosions near residential buildings were caused by direct drone impacts or falling debris. There were no immediately confirmed reports of casualties.
Voronezh Oblast directly borders eastern Ukraine, with the regional capital located about 200 kilometers (nearly 120 miles) from the nearest Ukrainian-held territory in Kharkiv Oblast. The areas has repeatedly been targeted by Ukrainian long-range strikes against Russian military and industrial infrastructure.
On June 22, Ukrainian forces struck the Voronezh Semiconductor Plant, a facility producing electronic components used in Russian missile and air defense systems, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
