Vladimir Putin has been dealt yet another blow as an ammunition warehouse in Russia reportedly went up in flames after an overnight drone attack.
Hours after the reported attack, thick plumes of smoke could still be seen rising from a warehouse in a village part of the Podgorensky district in southwestern Russia, although the fire had reportedly been put out.
In clips circulating on the messaging platform Telegram, loud bangs resembling explosions ongoing at the warehouse could also be heard.
Aleksandr Gusev, the governor of the region, blamed the incident on a Ukrainian attack, although he claimed the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) deployed by Kyiv didn’t directly hit the warehouse.
The damage, he claimed, was created by debris falling on the village’s infrastructure after the air defence shot down the drones.
The incident prompted the evacuation of the village and huge disruptions to the locals.
The governor hasn’t yet named the area affected by his statement, but independent Russian news outlet Astra believes it to be Sergeevka.
Mr Gusev’s statement read: “A state of emergency has been introduced within the boundaries of the village of Podgorensky district, where an incident with a Ukrainian UAV occurred at night.
“The detonation of explosive objects continues. As a result of one of the explosions, the outbuilding of a residential building caught fire. The fire has already been extinguished. There were no injuries.
“A section of the road that runs through the settlement was blocked. Citizens are being evacuated to temporary accommodation centres.”
Ukraine rarely claims responsibility for drone attacks carried out outside of its internationally-recognised borders.
A growing number of drone attacks have battered Russian territory over the past year, with UAVs targeting sensitive targets including oil depots, airfields and infrastructures linked to the defence and military industries.