The footage showed the night sky lit up through a large chimney that exploded at an oil depot in the city of Lyudinovo in Russia’s Kaluga oblast after a Ukrainian drone strike last night.
Local citizens reported hearing explosions in the area, as noted via Russian Telegram channels. Unverified videos shared on social media appear to show a main fire ravaging the facility.
Governor Vladislav Shapsha reported on the incident, describing that the chimney had broken down at an “industrial facility” around 9:30 p. m. time. No casualties were reported following the attack, Shapsha said.
The Ukrainian military has yet to comment on the operation and the extent of the damage is still unclear.
The attack is part of a clear escalation of Ukraine’s drone attack on Russian electrical infrastructure.
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In a similar incident, separate images circulating online suggest that a fire broke out at an oil depot in Uzlovaya, Tula region.
Ukraine has focused on attacking Russia’s fossil fuel infrastructure to try to disrupt a major source of investment for the Kremlin’s war effort.
Previous drone attacks on refineries in Tuapse, Ilyich, and Novoshakhtinsk have forced temporary halts or reductions in operations.
On January 14, Ukraine carried out what its military described as its “most massive” drone attack against Russian military and commercial sites, with targets up to 1,100 kilometers (620 miles) away.
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These moves reportedly affected chemical plants, refineries and ammunition depots, as well as the Engels air base, according to a report by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
As Ukraine steps up its efforts, Russian oil exports by sea have been affected.
Shipments fell by 9.1% in 2024, dropping to 113.7 million metric tonnes.
Meanwhile, in retaliation, Russian forces introduced drone and missile strikes against kyiv in the early hours of Saturday, killing three people.
The deaths occurred in the Shevchenkivskyi district, where falling debris caused significant damage, confirmed the head of the military administration of the city of Kyiv, Timur Tkachenko.
Smoke coming from a residential building, damaged windows and damage to a water line were also reported.
kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said the attacks also forced the closure of the Lukyanivska metro station after its glass front was broken.
Desnyansky district experienced debris-related incidents, but no further casualties were reported.
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