THIS is the moment Ukrainian drone strikes hit a 400ft Russian skyscraper – sparking a huge blast.
Footage shows the deadly drone flying into the 37-floor Azure skies residential tower before erupting into flames.
An aircraft-type drone was seen striking the upper part of the 399ft building and exploding.
An earlier strike had left a burning hole in the upper part of the complex.
Another tower block – the 23-floor Manhattan residential building in central Kazan – was also hit.
A drone was seen crashing into the complex, resulting in a massive explosion and fire.
Residents were told to evacuate or take cover in basements.
Separately, there was a fire in a five-story building in Kazan after a drone attack.
Firefighters were at the scenes of the attacks.
It wasn’t immediately obvious what drove the strikes on the city that commenced at approximately 8:30 am local time, or if there was a particular target.
The drones hit the buildings from the east, so not the “Ukrainian side”.
The nearest Ukrainian controlled territory is some 670 miles away.
Reports from Russia suggested that the Lyuti drones, translating to “Fierce,” carried out the assault. However, if this was the case, the distance would appear to be at the furthest reach of their capabilities.
Kazan is the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, a region which has led the way in the manufacturing of Russian military drones.
The city has a 1.3 million population, and is known as Russia’s ‘third capital’ after Moscow and St Petersburg.
Concerns arose about potential additional attacks as air raid sirens blared, prompting residents to stay composed, dress warmly, and seek shelter on the first floors and in basements.
There was no immediate information on casualties from the Kazan strikes.
Earlier in attacks on Russia’s Kursk region, five people were killed and 12 wounded in strikes on Rylsk.
A total of eight drones hit Kazan today, said the regional authorities.
Only one was shot down.
One hit an industrial enterprise, one a river, and six were struck residential areas, according to Russian sources.
The city’s international airport was closed due to the unmanned planes.
Students at a number of Kazan schools were evacuated during a drone attack.
Russian war channels said the likely target was a gunpowder plant in Kazan, and alleged the “clumsy enemy completely ignored the presence of high-rise residential buildings on their path, which led to the kamikazes colliding with high-rise buildings”.
Others claimed the target was the Kazan Aviation Plant or an airfield.
New footage shows a suspected Ukrainian drone hit the 37-floor Azure Skies elite residential tower in Kazan.
Russian air defences also shot down a drone approaching Kazan.
Meanwhile, in Rylsk, 33 miles from the Ukrainian border in Kursk region, heavy fighting was underway amid Ukrainian shelling with multiple buildings ablaze.
In Kherson, a cancer hospital was ablaze after being struck by a Russian aerial bomb.
No casualties were reported but the hospital was ablaze.
