A drone attack on Udmurtia may have been launched either from Ukrainian territory or from inside Russia, according to military expert Konstantin Sivkov. He said small UAVs could have been deployed by so-called sleeper cells operating within the country.

Sivkov considered a launch from the Baltic states or Finland unlikely because of the long distance to the region. He noted that the point of origin can only be assessed once the type of drones used in the raid has been identified.

Compact UAVs, he explained, could have taken off from Russian territory. If the attack involved a large number of longer-range drones, Ukraine would be the more likely launch site. Sivkov stressed that no firm conclusion can be drawn without information about the models and capabilities of the aircraft involved.

Udmurtia head Alexander Brechalov earlier described the incident as the region’s largest drone attack in recent times. Several UAVs were destroyed by air defense systems. No casualties were reported.