Ukraine attacks Volgograd region of Russia

Early in the morning of Thursday, August 22, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out a massive drone attack on the Volgograd region of Russia.

Photo: armyinform.com.ua by Army.com.ua, CC BY 4.0

Residents of the local town of Kalach-na-Donu heard the sounds of explosions at about 03:30 when air defense systems were in operation. In total, there were from six to ten explosions.

Two Ukrainian drones were shot down as they were approaching the Marinovka airfield in the village of Oktyabrsky. One of the drones was destroyed several kilometers from the airfield, while the debris of another one crashed on a shed nearby. As a result, a fire started.

Volgograd region Governor Andrei Bocharov said that a fire started at a Defense Ministry facility as a result of the attack. Air defense systems shot down most of the Ukrainian UAVs. No one was hurt. 

Seven flights were delayed at the airport of Volgograd on August 22.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on the night of August 22, Ukraine attempted to attack six regions of Russia. Air defense systems managed to intercept 13 drones over the Volgograd Region, 7 over the Rostov Region, 4 over the Belgorod Region, 2 over the Voronezh Region, and one over the Kursk Region and Bryansk Region.

In total, 28 UAVs were destroyed.

According to Acting Governor of the Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov, air defense forces shot down two missiles over the region.

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Volgograd formerly Tsaritsyn (1589–1925) and Stalingrad (1925–1961), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. The city lies on the western bank of the Volga, covering an area of 859.4 square kilometres (331.8 square miles), with a population of slightly over one million residents. Volgograd is the 16th-largest city by population size in Russia, the second-largest city of the Southern Federal District, and the fourth-largest city on the Volga. Volgograd today is the site of The Motherland Calls, an 85-metre (279 ft) high statue dedicated to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad, which is the tallest statue in Europe, as well as the second tallest statue of a woman in the world. The city has many tourist attractions, such as museums, sandy beaches, and a self-propelled floating church. Volgograd was one of the host cities of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.