Footage showed the night sky illuminated by a large chimney that exploded at an oil depot in the town of Lyudinovo in Russia’s Kaluga Oblast after a Ukrainian drone strike last night.
Local citizens reported hearing explosions in the area, as noted through Russian Telegram channels. Unverified videos shared on social media seem to display a primary fireplace ravaging the facility.
Governor Vladislav Shapsha reported on the incident and described that the chimney had broken down at an “industrial facility” at around 9:30 p. m. time. No casualties were reported as a result of the attack, Shapsha said.
Ukraine’s military has yet to comment on the operation, and the full scale of the damage remains 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 Oblast.
Ukraine has focused on attacking Russian fossil fuel infrastructure in an attempt 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 strikes reportedly hit chemical plants, refineries, and ammunition depots, including at the Engels airbase, according to a source in Ukraine’s Security Service (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 a retaliatory move, Russian forces launched drone and missile attacks on Kyiv in the early hours of Saturday, resulting in the deaths of 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 was seen billowing from a residential building, with broken windows and damage to a water pipeline also reported.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitalii Klitschko, said the attacks also forced the closure of the Lukyanivska metro station after its glass entrance was shattered.
The Desnyansky district experienced further debris-related incidents, though no additional casualties were reported.
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