Sri Lankans among those injured in Ukrainian drone strike in Russian Region

COLOMBO (News 1st); Russian media reported that a Ukrainian military drone strike near the Russian city of Elabuga on Tuesday has left students from eight foreign countries injured.

All those affected by the attack were studying at a technical college, according to the regional health authorities.

A college dormitory at Alabuga Polytech in the city’s Special Economic Zone was hit, the press service of the president of Tatarstan confirmed to several Russian news outlets on Wednesday.

The attack has left a total of 14 people wounded. “Citizens of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Sudan” were among them, RIA Novosti reported, citing a source in the republic’s administration. Six people remain hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries; the rest have been released.

The Alabuga Special Economic Zone, located some 10 kilometers away from the city of Elabuga, offers special conditions for businesses, such as tax breaks, and is one of the oldest such districts in Russia; it is a major car manufacturing hub.

Alabuga Polytech offers education in industrial robot engineering, chemical analysis, business software engineering, and microelectronics amongst others. The college is the largest educational center in Russia, according to the SEZ’s website; it has a capacity of 10,000 students per year.