ISTANBUL

The Russian southwestern Voronezh region bordering Ukraine declared a state of emergency in three settlements on Saturday after shooting down five drones launched from across the border overnight.

Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev said on Telegram that preliminary information did not show any damage to civilian buildings, but that falling debris caused fire and the detonation of explosive material, and that there may be power outages in one of the villages in the Ostrogozhsky district due to powerline damage.

Gusev said a state of emergency has been declared in three settlements of the district to clear debris and prevent the detonation of explosive objects.

He claimed that air defense systems shot down five drones in the region overnight.

So far, about 200 people have been evacuated, and a temporary accommodation center has been set up. However, almost all residents are being housed by relatives, he added.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a separate statement that seven Ukrainian drones were shot down by air defense systems overnight during an attempted attack, with five of them destroyed over the Voronezh region.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the claims.

Voronezh is located east of the Kursk border region, where Kyiv launched an incursion on the night of August 5-6 when Ukrainian forces entered the town of Sudzha, which is about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the border.

Putin accused Ukraine of carrying out a "large-scale provocation" and "indiscriminate shooting," describing the incursion as a "terrorist attack."

Days later, Zelenskyy admitted that it was an "operation" by Ukrainian troops aimed to create a "buffer zone" against Russian attacks.