'Massive' drone attack forces Russian authorities evacuate town, shutter schools

Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A massive drone attack on Russia's Tver region to the northwest of Moscow overnight forced authorities to partially evacuate residents of a town and shut schools and kindergartens in a neighboring municipality.

Tver Gov. Igor Rudenya ordered the relocation of residents to the town of Zapadnaya Dvina 30 miles to the southeast amid "a massive drone attack in the skies over the town of Toropets where efforts are currently being made to extinguish a fire," the state-owned TASS news agency reported.

"A fire started as a result of drone wreckage falling while air defense forces were repelling an attack," Rudenya wrote on social media early Wednesday.

He insisted that the situation was under control but half an hour later announced the call to "partially evacuate the population from the territory where air defense is operating and the fire is being localized."

School and kindergarten services were suspended in Zapadnaya Dvina district until further notice.

Footage and photos circulating online showed blasts and palls of black smoke said to be from arms depots detonating in Toropets, including a video posted on social media by Ukraine 's head of the office of the president, Andriy Yermak, of multiple fireballs lighting up the night sky and mushroom clouds.

"The demilitarization of Russia is necessary to end terror," Yermak wrote.

The Kyiv Post cited Ukraine's Special Services sources as saying the attack was a joint operation by Ukraine's Military Intelligence, Security Service and Special Operations Forces targeting warehouses storing missiles for Iskander and Tochka missile systems, guided bombs and artillery shells.

An integrated missile, ammunition and explosives storage facility was built in Toropets in 2018 , Ukrainska Pravda reported, with then-Russian Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov claiming it was a world-class arsenal where each warehouse could house as much as 240 tons of ammunition.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine attacked five Russian regions with dozens of drones of which 54 "were destroyed by air defense assets," but made no mention of the Tver region.

According to the ministry, 27 drones were downed over Kursk Oblast, 16 over Bryansk Oblast, 7 over Smolensk Oblast, 3 over Belgorod Oblast, and 1 above Oryol Oblast.