Drones Strike High-Rise Buildings in Russia’s Kazan

At least 8 drones attacked the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, some of which hit residential buildings, including a 32-story luxury building in Kazan, located 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the frontier, Russian media report.

The drones damaged buildings in Kazan, capital of the Tartarstan republic, with a population of more than 1.3 million, but there were no victims, local officials said

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the drones attacked Kazan in three waves from different directions on Saturday, Dec. 21, between 07:40 and 09:20 in the morning.

Footage of the attack has spread online, showing a drone hit the upper floors of the building, causing an explosion and a fire. Monitoring channels report that the drone flew into the building as a result of Russian electronic warfare (EW).

Kyiv Post could not immediately verify the authenticity of the images.

According to the Russian outlet Baza, two drones hit a 37-story skyscraper— the second one about 50 minutes after the first. A massive fire broke out in the residential complex.

The head of Tatarstan, Rustem Minnikhanov, arrived at the site in the morning. According to the authorities, no one was injured, but residents had to evacuate from the upper floors without using elevators. The building’s windows were shattered.

Minnikhanov ordered the cancellation of all mass events in Tatarstan over the weekend for safety reasons. Kazan Airport temporarily closed for incoming and outgoing flights, and some schools carried out evacuations.

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“Today Kazan suffered a massive drone attack,” Rustam Minnikhanov, the Tartarstan republic leader, said in a post on Telegram.

“While before industrial enterprises were attacked, now the enemy attacks civilians in the morning,” he added.

The authorities of Tatarstan reported that at least eight drones were involved in the attack. Six of them hit residential buildings, one struck an industrial facility, and another was shot down over a river. The drone that attempted to attack the facility did not reach its target.

Kazan was attacked by drones of the “Lyuty” type, according to Russian media, which estimate the flight range of such a UAV with a combat payload of up to 50 kg to be about 1000 km.

The “Lyuty” drone is a Ukrainian long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed for strike missions. Its main operators are the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Thanks to its characteristics and flight range, the “Lyuty” has become an important element of Ukraine’s strike capabilities, allowing for precise hits on strategic targets far from the front lines.

The Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the drone attack in Kazan.