Russia announces partial evacuation of Toropets city after ‘massive’ Ukrainian drone attack

September 18 () –

The governor of the Tver region, Igor Rudenya, announced on Wednesday that he has decided to partially evacuate the population of the city of Toropets in the face of a “massive” attack by Ukraine using unmanned aerial vehicles.

“A fire is being extinguished in Toropets at the site where the drone debris fell. Air defence continues to repel a massive drone attack in the skies above the city. To ensure the safety of residents, the governor (…) has decided to partially evacuate the population from the area where air defences are operating and the fire is being brought under control,” he said.

Rudenya, who has indicated that “the necessary measures are being taken”, has assured through his Telegram channel that “the situation is under control.”

The Russian Defense Ministry has estimated that 54 drones were destroyed by Russian air defense systems overnight over various regions of the Russian Federation. Of these, 27 were shot down in the Kursk region, 16 in Bryansk, seven in Smolensk, three in Belgorod and one in Oryol, TASS news agency reports.