Ukraine launches massive drone strike, hits Russian oil refinery

File Source: Vatican

Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a large-scale drone attack targeting Russian infrastructure, reportedly hitting an oil refinery in the Ryazan region and a missile component plant in Bryansk. This operation, involving at least 100 drones, is described as one of the largest of its kind since the start of the war.

Footage circulating online shows a massive fireball erupting over the Ryazan refinery, with Ukrainian officials confirming it as one of the targets. “An oil refinery in Ryazan and the Kremniy plant in Bryansk were struck,” said Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s center for countering disinformation, on Telegram. He added that the Bryansk facility produces critical components for missiles and other weapons.

Despite Kyiv’s claims, Russia’s defense ministry stated that its air defenses intercepted 121 drones across 13 regions, including Moscow, Ryazan, and Bryansk. It reported no damage or casualties. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that air defenses repelled attacks in four locations around the city, adding that drones targeting Kolomna and Ramenskoye, southeast of the capital, were intercepted without causing damage.

Videos verified by the BBC show civilians fleeing the fire at the Ryazan refinery. Social media accounts on Telegram also shared images of the blaze, adding to growing tension between the two nations.

Meanwhile, in Bryansk, operations at the Kremniy plant were suspended following an attack involving six drones, according to Russian state-owned news agency RIA. Pavel Malkov, the regional governor, said emergency services were responding to the situation.

The fallout from the attacks extended to Russia’s aviation sector. The federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, reported temporary suspensions of flights at Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports, with six flights redirected to other locations.

Elsewhere, in the Russian city of Kursk, Mayor Igor Kutsak reported overnight attacks that damaged power lines, cutting electricity to one district.

Ukraine also faced a deadly escalation. Its air defenses intercepted 25 of the 58 drones launched by Russia overnight, officials said. However, in the Kyiv region, a Russian drone struck a residential building in Hlevakha, killing three people and injuring another. The interior ministry confirmed that debris from the drone caused the fatalities, describing the incident as a grave tragedy.

Despite the Kremlin’s downplaying of the attack’s impact, the scale and scope of the operation highlight the intensifying conflict, with both nations leveraging drone technology to strike critical targets.