The strikes mark an intensification of near-daily drone attacks targeting Russia’s fuel infrastructure since the start of the year.
Local sources cited by Russian Telegram channel Shot said more than 200 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were allegedly shot down in a “massive strike” on regions including Saratov, Kazan, Engels, Bryansk, and Tula. Several explosions were reported, setting off fires at chemical facilities and refineries.
- Kazan: Ukrainian media said drones hit the Orgsintez chemical plant, igniting fuel tanks. In the capital of Tatarstan, a plant producing liquefied gas was also struck, with local outlets reporting smoke rising above the facility.
- Saratov: Footage circulated online showed a large blaze at a refinery, with witnesses describing explosions. In recent weeks, firefighters took five days to extinguish an earlier fire at Engels Air Base, located in the Saratov region.
- Engels: Fuel storage tanks for Tu-160 bombers caught fire again in the early hours, following an earlier blaze that had been brought under control only days ago.
Ukrainian official Andriy Kovalenko, head of the country’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said via Telegram that factories producing weapons components, refineries, and fuel depots were among the drone targets in Bryansk and Tula.
Russia’s TASS news agency reported temporary flight restrictions at airports in Kazan, Kaluga, Saratov, Tambov, Penza, and Ulyanovsk. Authorities in Saratov switched schools to remote learning in the wake of the attacks, local media said.
Neither Russian nor Ukrainian defense officials immediately issued detailed statements regarding the reported drone strikes. Over the past year, Ukraine has increasingly used UAVs to strike logistics and fuel infrastructure within Russian territory, a strategy Kyiv says is aimed at disrupting Moscow’s supply lines in the war.
(jh)
Source: PAP, Polskie Radio 24, IAR