Eyewitness footage showed a moment of purported Ukrainian drone hit a residential building in the Russian city of Kazan on Saturday (December 21) .Reuters was able to confirm the location from building characteristics, position of nearby buildings and trees that matched with file and satellite imagery of the area. Date was verified by Russian state news agencies and statement from Russian Defence Ministry.Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian city of Kazan and the airport there was temporarily closed, Russian media and aviation authorities said on Saturday.Russian state news agencies reported the drone attack on a residential complex in Kazan, a city some 500 miles (800 km) east of Moscow.The Defence Ministry said the city had been attacked by three waves of drones between 7:40 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. (0440 and 0620 GMT).There were no casualties reported, agencies said, citing local authorities. The mayor of Kazan said on Telegram that all planned mass events in the city would be cancelled over the weekend and that authorities would offer temporary accommodation to evacuees.The Baza Telegram channel, which is close to Russia’s security services, published unverified video footage showing an aerial object crashing into a high-rise building, producing a large fireball.The Kazan airport temporarily halted flight arrivals and departures, Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said via Telegram. n18oc_world n18oc_crux

Ukrainian drones launched a large-scale attack on Kazan, striking residential buildings on December 21. Eight drones targeted multi-story structures, with six causing direct damage. Russian air defenses destroyed or neutralized several drones, while flights at nearby airports were temporarily halted. Tatarstan’s leader condemned the attack on civilians. Meanwhile, Ukraine intensified its military operations, using advanced UAVs and drones against Russian positions near Kharkiv. Simultaneously, Russian strikes in Kyiv damaged diplomatic missions, as both sides continued heavy combat with significant casualties and infrastructure impacts. n18oc_crux

The “allegations against me are humiliating”, said Telugu superstar Allu Arjun, adding that a “lot of misinformation” is going around in the Hyderabad stampede case in which a woman died.

“A lot of misinformation is going around. I am not trying to blame anyone, any department or political leader…It is humiliating and feels like character assassination. Please don’t judge me,” said the superstar addressing reporters, adding that he remains “apologetic for what happened”.

The actor’s comment follows Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s claim that the superstar attended the premiere of his movie ‘Pushpa 2’ at Sandhya Theatre on December 4 even though police permission being denied. The actor’s presence at the event caused a stampede-like situation, said the police, in which a 35-year-old woman died and her eight-year-old son was critically injured. 

Even after the death of the woman, the actor did not leave the cinema hall, prompting the police to force him out, the Chief Minister claimed.

“Permission was sought from the theatre management. The police cleared the way so I went in. I am a law-abiding citizen. I would have left if I were told that there is no permission,” said the actor.

Before entering the theatre and exiting, the actor stood through the sunroof of his car and waved to the crowds leading to thousands of fans jostling to get a glimpse of him, said the Chief Minister.

“I did not conduct any roadshow. No policeman approached me to leave. My own manager told me that there is an uncontrollable crowd and asked me to leave,” said the actor contradicting the Chief Minister.

Telangana MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi has also claimed that a famous actor, whom he did not name, when told that a woman died in a stampede during ‘Pushpa 2’ premiere said that the “film will now be a hit”.

“I have a child of the same age, wouldn’t I feel the pain. No one is to be blamed,” said the national award-winning actor, who had to spend a night in jail after his arrest in the case earlier this month. He, however, secured a bail within 24 hours.