A fire broke out early Friday, Aug. 9, at a Russian military airfield in the Lipetsk region, located 300 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, according to state media and the local governor.
Authorities ordered evacuations in response to what was described as a “massive” drone attack.
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This assault occurred as Ukrainian forces intensified a cross-border offensive in the neighbouring Kursk region, marking one of the most significant attacks on Russian territory since the war with Ukraine began.
Russian news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported the fire at the Lipetsk airfield, citing the regional emergencies ministry. However, their reports did not mention the cause of the fire.
Residents were the first ones to spread the message on social media that the drones set off explosions in an ammunition depot after the attack.
Hours before the fire, Lipetsk’s regional governor, Igor Artamonov, announced on Telegram that the area had been subjected to a large-scale drone attack. He later reported explosions away from civilian areas and damage to a local power facility.
Initially, Artamonov advised residents to ignore evacuation calls spread on social media, claiming they were intended to incite panic.
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However, he reversed this advice within an hour, announcing a state of emergency in the Lipetsk municipal district and ordering evacuations for four nearby settlements.
Artamonov indicated that six people were reportedly injured in the attack, and local air defences were still active as of 6:00 a.m.
Lipetsk is located about 330 kilometers (210 miles) from the Ukrainian border and near Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian-aligned forces have been conducting a significant incursion involving around 1,000 troops and over two dozen armoured vehicles and tanks, according to Russian military sources.
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