Russian air defense systems in the southern Volgograd region downed a drone Thursday afternoon, local authorities and media said, the first such reported incident in the region since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s Defense Ministry “intercepted and neutralized the drone,” Volgograd region Governor Andrei Bocharov said on the Telegram messaging app Thursday afternoon but did not indicate whether the drone had come from Ukraine.
“There were neither casualties nor damage to civilian or military infrastructure,” he added.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the incident.
According to the Baza Telegram channel, which is believed to have links to Russia’s law enforcement agencies, the drone tried attacking a military site in the Gorodishchensky district, located just north of the region’s administrative center.
Similarly, the local V1.ru news outlet reported that the aircraft had “fallen” on a military site without specifying which one, while adding that local residents said they had heard explosions around the time of the incident.
Neither of the two reports could immediately be independently verified.
Thursday’s incident marks the first reported drone downing in the Volgograd region since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The southern region, which hosts the Marinovka air base, is located around 300 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.