On August 10, a drone attack from Ukraine killed one person and damaged several apartments and an industrial facility in the Saratov region of southern Russia. Governor Roman Busargin said residents had been evacuated after debris from the destroyed plane fell on three apartments in the overnight incident.
Mr. Busargin said that many injured people have received on-site medical care, 1 person had to be hospitalized and unfortunately 1 person died. Russia said air defense forces shot down 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, including eight in the Saratov region, but did not disclose the total number of those launched.
The location of the damaged industrial facility has not been clearly determined. Images on social media showed a column of black smoke rising from an area believed to be an industrial park.
Ukrainian media reported that the refinery in the city of Saratov caught fire after the attack, but there has been no official confirmation from Russia. The Rosneft-owned refinery in Saratov had to temporarily suspend operations earlier this year due to safety reasons after drone attacks from Ukraine.
A Russian Telegram channel said that about eight explosions were heard in Saratov and Engels - two cities on both sides of the Volga River. Russian Civil Aviation Authority Rosaviatsia said flights to and from Saratov had been suspended for about two hours on the morning of August 10 to ensure aviation safety.
Both sides denied attacking civilians. Kiev insists the strikes on Russian territory are aimed at destroying critical infrastructure for Moscow's conflict efforts, including energy and military targets, while responding to Russian airstrikes.
