Ukraine drone attacks hit Russian fuel facilities in Oryol, Nizhny Novgorod

Russian fuel facilities in Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions were on fire on Tuesday after Ukrainian drone attacks, local governors and media said, in what appeared to be a coordinated Kyiv air operation that also targeted Moscow and other regions.

Air defense systems downed a total of 25 drones launched by Ukraine over several Russian regions, RIA state news reported, citing Russia's defense ministry. It was not immediately clear whether all the drones were destroyed.

"In the morning, the Kstovo industrial zone, a fuel and energy complex facility, was attacked by unmanned aerial vehicles," Gleb Nikitin, governor of Nizhny Novgorod, said on the Telegram messaging app, adding that a fuel processing unit was on fire in result of the attack.

RIA reported, citing Russian Railways, that a fire extinguishing train was taking part in putting out a fire in the territory of Lukoil's refinery in Kstovo.

Oryol's Governor Klychkov said on the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine launched a drone attack at a fuel facility in the region, while Russia's RIA state news agency cited emergency services as saying one petroleum tank was on fire following the attack.

The Baza Telegram channel, which is close to Russian law enforcement, posted a photo of large flames rising above what appeared to be an industrial facility. The channel cited local Oryol residents as saying there was an explosion before the fire broke out.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Officials in Moscow, Kursk, Tula, Voronezh, and Belgorod regions also reported drone attacks, providing few details about potential damage but saying there were no casualties reported in the attacks.

Ukraine has, in recent months, launched a series of drone attacks on Russian refineries and energy facilities, some of which have been successful and caused significant damage and stoppages.

Two drones hit a fuel facility in the city of Oryol, about 370km (230 miles) south of Moscow and 220km (137 miles) from the Ukrainian border, in January. A fire also broke out in the facility in February, although officials did not give a reason for the later fire.

Seven settlements in Russia's Belgorod region that borders Ukraine were left without electricity overnight after a Ukraine-launched drone dropped explosives, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod region, said on the Telegram.

Roman Starovoit, governor of the Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine, said on Tuesday six Ukraine-launched drones were downed overnight over his region, with emergency services checking for possible damage.

One drone flying towards Moscow was downed over the Ramensky district near the capital, Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

A drone was also downed over Russia's Tula region, which borders the Moscow region, and one over the southern Russia Voronezh region, local Russian officials said on their Telegram channels, without providing further detail.

Reuters