MOSCOW (Reuters) – The airport in the Russian city of Kazan reopened on Saturday after being temporarily closed earlier in the day following a Ukrainian drone attack, Russia's aviation watchdog said.
Official Russian news agencies reported the drone attack on a residential complex and other areas in Kazan, about 500 miles (800 km) east of Moscow.
The Ministry of Defense said the city was attacked by three waves of drones between 7:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. (0440 and 0620 GMT). It said that three drones were destroyed by air defense systems and three other drones were destroyed by electronic warfare systems.
The agencies, citing local authorities, said that no injuries were reported. The mayor of Kazan said via the Telegram app that all mass events planned in the city would be canceled over the weekend, and that authorities would provide temporary accommodation for evacuees.
The Baza Telegram channel, which is close to the Russian security services, published unverified video footage showing an aerial object colliding with a high-rise building, leading to the appearance of a large fireball.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the attack, saying that Ukraine “takes out its impotent anger through real military defeats on the peaceful population of Russia.”
Airports in Izhevsk, a smaller city northeast of Kazan, and Saratov, about 400 miles (650 km) south of Kazan, temporarily halted the arrivals and departures of flights, Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said via the Telegram app.
Rosaviatsia said that restrictions on airports were later lifted.
