A Ukrainian drone launched an attack on a petroleum storage facility in western Russia on Friday, resulting in a significant fire, officials reported.
The incident occurred as Ukrainian forces expanded their operations on Russian territory, marking a continuation of attacks ahead of the two-year anniversary of the war.
The drone targeted Klintsy, a city near the Ukrainian border, setting ablaze four oil reservoirs with a collective capacity of 1.6 million gallons.
This strike appears to be part of Ukraine’s intensified efforts to unsettle Russians and challenge President Vladimir Putin’s narrative of normalcy leading up to the March 17 presidential election.
Russia’s Air Defenses Vulnerable to Ukrainian Drones
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pledged to target more locations within Russian border regions in the coming year.
Kyiv officials assert that Russia’s air defenses are concentrated in occupied parts of Ukraine, making more distant targets within Russia susceptible as Ukrainian forces enhance the capabilities of longer-range drones.
Due to the perceived threat of Ukrainian drone strikes, the Russian city of Belgorod, located near the Ukrainian border, decided to cancel its traditional Orthodox Epiphany festivities on Friday.
This marks the first instance of major public events being canceled in Russia due to the threat posed by drones.
According to Ukrainian national media, citing an official from Ukraine’s Intelligence Service, Ukrainian drones also launched an attack on a gunpowder mill in Tambov, situated approximately 370 miles south of Moscow, on Friday.
Contrary to these reports, Tambov Governor Maxim Yegorov stated that the plant was operating normally, as reported by Russia’s RBC news outlet.
Earlier, the Mash news outlet had claimed that a Ukrainian drone fell on the plant’s premises on Thursday but caused no damage.
In a consistent pattern, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the interception of a Ukrainian drone on the outskirts of St. Petersburg on Thursday.
The drone debris landed at the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal on the city’s southern periphery, as verified by Vladimir Rogov, responsible for coordinating the Russian-annexed regions of Ukraine.
Terminal co-owner Mikhail Skigin affirmed that the drone had been aiming for the terminal. St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, is situated approximately 560 miles north of the Ukraine border.