MOSCOW, March 6 (Reuters) -

A Ukrainian drone struck a fuel tank at one of Russia's

largest iron ore plants on Wednesday, though no one was injured

and the plant was working as normal, Russian officials and the

owner of the plant said.

Unverified video footage on Russian Telegram channels

showed plumes of black smoke soaring into the sky in the Kursk

region and damage at the Mikhailovsky GOK iron ore plant which

is owned by Metalloinvest, Russia's largest iron ore

producer.

"Today, as a result of a drone attack in the

Zheleznogorsky district, a fuel tank at the fuel and lubricants

warehouse of the Mikhailovsky Mining and Processing Plant caught

fire," the TASS news agency quoted the plant as saying.

It said the plant was working as normal.

"There were no casualties. The necessary measures are

currently being taken to extinguish the fire."

Kursk governor Roman Starovoit blamed Kyiv for the

attack on Kursk region's Zheleznogorsky district, which is known

for its iron mines and is located around 90km (56 miles) from

the Ukrainian frontier. He said later that there was a risk of

missile strikes on the area.

Mikhailovsky GOK is one of the largest iron ore mining

and processing facilities in Russia. Through open-pit mining,

Mikhailovsky GOK develops an iron ore deposit with proven

reserves of 10.4 billion tonnes, according to Metalloinvest.

Ukrainian drone attacks have repeatedly hit Russian oil

refineries and other energy infrastructure in recent weeks.

Kursk region has come under regular attack from Ukraine since

Russia ordered tens of thousands troops into the country in Feb.

2022.

Authorities in Russia's Belgorod and Voronezh regions, which

are also regular targets for attack close to the frontline in

Ukraine, said that drones had been downed there, too.

The Baza Telegram channel, which is close to Russian law

enforcement, reported that the drones downed over Voronezh had

been trying to attack a military airbase and an oil depot.

(Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Jacqueline Wong/Guy

Faulconbridge)