Ukrainian drones targeting Kursk civilians ‘designed for maximum casualties’

The munitions used in the lethal strike were packed with metal fragments, authorities have said.

Ukrainian kamikaze drones that targeted Russian civilians in Kursk were loaded with ball bearings to maximize damage to human life, officials have said.

The strike on residential buildings early on Tuesday morning killed an elderly woman and injured nine people, six of whom had to be rushed to hospital, according to Kursk Region acting Governor Aleksandr Khinshtein. In a statement, he denounced the incident as “a cruel crime” exposing “the agony of the enemy.”

The Russian Investigative Committee, which described the “massive” attack as terrorism, said the Ukrainian one-way drones were designed “to cause maximum damage to civilians and infrastructure objects.”

Drone munitions were packed with ball bearings, which were found scattered at the impact locations, according to images released by the Kursk Region administration.

In addition to damaging multiple homes, the Ukrainian drones hit an ambulance station, causing damage to 11 parked vehicles, Khinshtein said.

Photos showed the serious impact of the raid, with at least four balconies of a residential tower obliterated in a single strike. In some locations, small fires could be seen inside buildings hours after the raid, according to images shared by the media.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported the interception of 115 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight, including 109 over Kursk Region. Media reports previously said dozens of explosions were heard in Kursk as air defenses repelled the attack.

Last week, Kiev accused the Russian military of targeting civilians in the city of Sumy. Moscow has rejected the claim, saying the missile attack was aimed at a high-profile military gathering and that Kiev used city residents as human shields.