City in Russia enters state of emergency after Ukraine attack

The mayor of the southern Russian city of Voronezh declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after what officials said was a drone attack launched by Ukraine that damaged several buildings and injured a child.

People from at least one apartment building were evacuated to a nearby school after drone debris sparked a small fire and blew out windows, Mayor Vadim Kstenin said on the Telegram messaging app.

Windows in other buildings were also broken, he said, adding: “The state of emergency introduced in the city will allow immediate implementation of measures to replace them.”

The region's governor, Alexander Gusev, said on his Telegram channel that a child was injured when debris from a drone fell on his building.

On its Telegram channel, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had destroyed five drones and intercepted three others overnight in the Voronezh region, which borders Ukraine. The city of Voronezh is the administrative center of the region.

The ministry also said it intercepted four drones in the neighboring Belgorod region of Russia.

Voronezh, a city with more than 1 million inhabitants, is about 250 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Kiev has stepped up its airstrikes in recent months in what it says are strikes against Russian military infrastructure to undermine Moscow's war efforts.

Russia has an air base near the city of Voronezh where some Sukhoi Su-34 bombers are based, according to Russian media. Russia frequently uses fighter-bombers during air strikes on Ukraine.

Russian media portal Shot reported on Telegram that at least 15 explosions were heard near the air base and some drone debris fell nearby, into an apartment building.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the information.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Jamie Freed and Miral Fahmy)