(Updated: )
Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck an ammunition and military equipment warehouse in Russia's Voronezh Oblast overnight on Sept. 7, a source in the SBU told the Kyiv Independent.
Authorities in the Russian region reported a drone attack and a fire at an unspecified facility earlier in the day. Local Telegram channels said that ammunition storage near the village of Soldatskoye caught fire, a claim corroborated by the SBU source.
Soldatskoye lies around 70 kilometers (over 40 miles) south of Voronezh and over 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
"This warehouse was actively used by Russia to supply materiel to (Russian forces) in Ukraine, which is why it was targeted by SBU drones," the source said.
The drone strike reportedly led to chain explosions of the stored ammunition and at least four powerful fires.
A Ukrainian official said that the attack destroyed North Korean missiles that Pyongyang supplied to Russia for war against Ukraine. Moscow has deployed North Korean ballistic missiles such as KN-23 and KN-24 in attacks against Ukrainian cities.
"The same fate awaits Iranian missiles," said Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, referring to recent reports that Tehran has also sent ballistic missiles to Russia.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims.
Residents of several settlements in the Ostrogozhsky district are being temporarily evacuated, Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusev said. He urged residents not to approach the site of the fire or share images of its location.
Gusev reported a similar attack in the Ostrogozhsky district on Aug. 24, also resulting in fires and explosions. Russian Telegram channels later said that the drones struck an ammunition depot in Ostrogozhsk.
Ukrainian forces have previously targeted military airfields, oil refineries, and ammunition depots in Voronezh Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
