The Ukrainian Armed Forces said it targeted a Russian military command post on the grounds of an historic estate in Maryino, in Russia’s Kursk region, on November 20 after drone footage leaked online showing a series of explosions in the area.
The announcement was made by the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), a Ukrainian military unit that specializes in drone warfare, on November 21, a day after the strikes. USF also confirmed that the footage belonged to the armed forces.
The strike on Maryino prompted reports that Ukrainian forces had fired British-French Storm Shadow missiles into Russian territory. Storyful could not independently verify if the British-French long-range cruise missiles were used in the attack. However, the anonymously run pro-Russian Telegram channel Two Majors posted photos purporting to show fragments of Storm Shadow missiles found in Maryino, and Reuters said an official had confirmed the strike on condition of anonymity.
Earlier video shot by an eyewitness outside the estate captured the sound of at least 14 explosions.
Governor of Kursk Region Alexey Smirnov said air defenses shot down two Ukrainian missiles over Kursk region, but he did not specify what kind of missiles they were.
The estate in Maryino, which was built in the early 1800s, is managed by a Kremlin agency, the Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation, and is located about 24 miles from the Ukrainian border at its nearest point. Credit: Ukrainian Armed Forces via Storyful
