Editor's note: The article was updated following reports on the alleged attack against Belgorod Oblast and a repeated attack against Kursk Oblast.
Russia claimed that Ukrainian drones attacked Kursk, Voronezh, and Belgorod oblasts early on March 6, allegedly causing a warehouse fire in the first of the three regions.
Bordering Ukraine, regional officials in Kursk, Belgorod, and Voronezh oblasts often report on Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Kyiv does not usually comment on these claims.
The fire broke out in a lubricant warehouse in Kursk Oblast's Zheleznogorsky district, said Roman Starovoyt, the regional governor.
According to the Russian official, a fuel tank ignited as a result of the attack. Emergency services are working on site, and no casualties were reported, he added.
The Russian Telegram channel 112 claimed that a drone targeted the Mikhailovsky Mining and Processing Plant in Zheleznogorsk. Starovoyt reported later during the day that a second drone hit the plant, noting that there were no casualties.
Several Ukrainian media outlets wrote, citing their sources, that the attack on the Mikhailovsky plant was an operation of Ukrainian intelligence services.
At least three drones were allegedly shot down also over Voronezh Oblast on the morning of March 6, the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti claimed, citing regional officials.
Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusev claimed that no civilians were injured, adding that other consequences of the supposed strike are being determined.
The Russian Telegram channel Astra claimed that residents of the Voronezh Oblast town of Anna heard explosions near a local oil depot. Another local Telegram channel, Baza, alleged that a drone tried to attack the military airbase Baltimor (Voronezh Malshevo) but was shot down before reaching it.
One drone was downed over Belgorod Oblast at 9 a.m. local time, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed without elaborating on the consequences.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
In recent months, Russian authorities began reporting an increasing number of drone strikes targeting Belgorod, Bryansk, Oryol, and Leningrad oblasts, as well as other regions.
In turn, Ukraine reported a massive drone attack by Russia overnight on March 6. The Ukrainian Air Force said that 38 of the 42 Shahed-type attack drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
