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Editor's note: The article was updated with a statement by the Volgograd regional authorities, a report from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and a statement from an SBU source.
Explosions were heard in the Russian town of Kalach-na-Donu in Volgograd Oblast overnight on Aug. 22, following what appears to be a drone attack, several Telegram monitoring channels reported.
The incident was reportedly followed by a fire at a nearby airfield. The Volgograd region is located some 900 kilometers (560 miles) southeast of Moscow.
The attack is believed to have targeted the Marinovka airbase in the village of Oktyabrsky, approximately 20 kilometers from Kalach-na-Donu.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed that the agency carried out an attack against the Marinovka airbase together with special forces, hitting a fuel warehouse and a bomb storage.
"(Russia) actively uses the Marinovka airfield in the Volgograd region to bomb front lines in Ukraine," the source told the Kyiv Independent.
Witnesses from nearby areas reported hearing between six and 10 loud explosions during the attack, accompanied by the distinctive sounds of drones, according to several Russian Telegram channels.
Residents of Kalach-na-Donu began reporting explosions at around 3:30 a.m. local time. The Telegram channel Baza said that one of the drones was allegedly intercepted several kilometers from the airfield, while debris from the second drone fell on a nearby temporary structure, causing a fire.
Andrey Bocharov, the regional governor, claimed later in the day that most of the drones attacking the region near Marinovka had been intercepted.
"As a result of a drone crash, a fire broke out on the territory of a Defense Ministry facility," Bocharov said.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims.
NASA imagery published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty appears to show several fires at the airfield during the night on Aug. 22. Satellite footage from Aug. 19 shows nearly 30 warplanes and eight trucks.
Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military assets, oil refineries, and industrial facilities.
The Kyiv Independent
