Explosions reported in several Russian regions after drone and missile attack
Illustrative photo: Explosions were reported in Kursk and Lipetsk regions due to an airstrike (Getty Images)
Explosions were reported in Russia's Kursk and Lipetsk regions during the night of November 24 amid an airstrike. Air defense systems are operating in the regions, according to the governors of the Kursk and Lipetsk regions, Alexei Smirnov and Igor Artemov, and local sources.
Kursk region
Local authorities had warned the previous evening of a potential missile strike threat. Air defense systems were later activated.
The Kursk governor subsequently reported at least twice on canceling the missile strike threat, only to later announce that the threat had resurfaced.
Additionally, he mentioned the risk of a drone attack on the region.
Late at night, the Russian official reported the alleged interception of two missiles and 27 drones in the Kursk region by air defense systems. He urged residents not to approach debris. According to him, the missiles and UAVs were Ukrainian.
The governor did not comment on any damage caused by the airstrike in the Kursk region.
Meanwhile, Kursk-based sources on Russian Telegram channels claimed that Western long-range missiles, such as the ATACMS or Storm Shadow, might have been used in strikes on the region that night.
Russian channels claimed that five missiles had been launched at the region.
Photo: Ukrainian missile attack on the Kursk region (Russian ASTRA Telegram channel)
Russian media provided no supporting evidence for this hypothesis.
There were also reports, citing residents of Kursk, that explosions were heard in the cities of Kursk and Kurchatov.
Lipetsk region
Local authorities in this Russian region also warned of the threat of an airstrike on Saturday evening.
"Attention! An air danger regime is being implemented across the Lipetsk region. Attention! There is a threat of a UAV attack on the city of Lipetsk and Lipetsk municipal district," the Lipetsk governor said in statements at 9:40 PM and 12:25 AM, respectively (Moscow time).
At the same time, Lipetsk Telegram channels reported the sounds of explosions and the operation of air defense systems due to a drone attack.
Authorities in Lipetsk did not comment on the potential consequences of the UAV strike or the defense against the attack in the region.
Air strikes on Russia
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, various regions of the aggressor country have reported drone attacks, along with explosions and fires at various facilities connected to Russia's defense industry. Attacks have targeted military sites, ammunition depots, and other such locations.
The intensity of these air strikes, mostly involving UAVs, has been steadily increasing in several regions of Russia. Areas close to the Ukrainian border, especially the Kursk region, are particularly affected.
On November 20, Western media reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used Storm Shadow missiles for the first time to strike Russian territory. Social media posts claimed that a facility in the settlement of Maryino, Kursk region, had been hit.
According to the specialized publication Defense Express, the target could have been the estate of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s associates, the Barayatsky family, in the Kursk region. Analysts reported that a secret underground military command post is located on the estate, where Russian military command and North Korean generals might have been present.
On November 23, Global Defense reported that the Storm Shadow missile strikes on Maryino resulted in the deaths of 500 North Korean soldiers and Russian officers.
Additionally, on November 19, an RBC-Ukraine source in Ukraine's Defense Forces confirmed the first Ukrainian strike using ATACMS missiles on Russian territory, targeting a military facility in the Bryansk region.
