Russia’s Tatarstan declares emergency after Ukrainian drone attacks
Moscow, Dec 22 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Russia’s Tatarstan Republic declared a state of emergency for government bodies and emergency response units to manage the aftermath of Ukrainian drone attacks.
“The head of Tatarstan has signed an order imposing a special emergency mode for government agencies and the Ministry of Emergency Situations. This status is necessary to swiftly handle the consequences of the attacks in accordance with the law,” the press service of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov said on Saturday. “The order applies exclusively to those involved in the response efforts and does not affect the general population.”
On Saturday, eight drone strikes were reported in Tatarstan’s capital city of Kazan, six of which targeted residential buildings. Preliminary reports indicated there were no injuries, Xinhua news agency reported.
Tatarstan’s governor, Rustam Minnikhanov, confirmed six drones struck residential buildings, one hit an industrial site, and another was shot down over a river.
The attacks, which Ukraine didn’t acknowledge in keeping with its security policy, come after a Ukrainian attack on Friday on a town in Russia’s Kursk border region using US-supplied missiles killed six people, including a child.
Moscow sent 113 drones into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, Ukrainian officials said. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, 57 drones were shot down during the attacks. A further 56 drones were “lost,” likely having been electronically jammed.
Following the attack, operations at Izhevsk Airport near Kazan were temporarily restricted. The restrictions were lifted by 15:00 local time (1100 GMT) on Saturday, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Alexander Sinelnikov, general director of Izhevsk-based aviation company Izhavia, as saying.
