Russia’s Voronezh declares state of emergency as Ukraine drone attack injures two children

Officials in the southern Russian city of Voronezh declared a state of emergency after a Ukrainian drone attack wounded two children. Meanwhile, authorities in the Ukrainian northeast region of Kharkiv ordered the evacuation of more than two dozen villages near the front line amid a rise in attacks by Russia.

Two children injured in Russia’s Voronezh

A Ukrainian drone attack wounded a six-year-old boy and a young girl, said the local officials, on Tuesday.

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Yelena Fedyainova, whose six-year-old boy was injured in one of the attacks, said the drones first struck at about 2:30 am (local time). She also said that the attack blew the window of her apartment.

“The was a blow and a flash,” Fedyainova told reporters, as quoted by Reuters. “I grabbed the child - there were shards everywhere and smoke.” The local officials reported that another girl who was around 10 years old was also injured.

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The Russian defence ministry said five Ukrainian drones were destroyed by air defences over the Voronezh region and three more were intercepted. Additionally, Moscow also claimed to have downed four more drones over the Belgorod region.

The Mayor of the Russian city Vadim Kstenin, said a state of emergency had been declared to deal with the impact of the attack. Voronezh is home to more than one million people and is around 250 kilometres away from the Ukrainian border.

The Russian city is also located near an air base which reportedly holds some of the country’s Sukhoi Su-34 bombers. Russian news outlet Shot reported on Telegram that at least 15 blasts were heard near the air base.

Three injured in Ukrainian town of New York

At least three people were injured after a Russian-guided bomb hit the eastern Ukrainian town of New York, on Tuesday (Jan 16). “Three people are currently known to be wounded. Five more are probably under the rubble,” said Ukraine’s interior ministry.

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Ukrainian officials also reported that six three-storey buildings and five private houses were destroyed due to the attack.

A report by AFP citing photos published by the ministry said rescuers were seen combing through the rubble of what appeared to be the collapsed section of an apartment block overnight.

Ukraine orders evacuations

Officials in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region have urged residents of more than two dozen villages near the front line to evacuate, on Tuesday (Jan 16). The evacuations are set to affect more than 3,000 people, including nearly 300 children.

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“Given the security situation, we are introducing mandatory evacuation of the population from the Kindrashivska and Kurylivska communities of the Kupyansk district,” said Kharkiv regional Governor Oleg Synegubov, in a post on social media.

The evacuation order comes as Russian forces have been pushing to capture the regional hub of Kupiansk, an important railway junction, which was home to around 30,000 people before the war began.

(With inputs from agencies)

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