Late in the evening on Thursday, January 23, strike drones launched a massive attack on an oil refinery in the Russian city of Ryazan.
Russian air defense attempted to repel the attack, but the facility was hit.
Local residents reported on social media hearing at least 10 loud explosions, followed by fires.
Governor of the region, Pavel Malkov, commented on the UAV attack, claiming that air defense and electronic warfare systems allegedly shot down drones over Ryazan region. He also added that no casualties were reported. Later, he wrote on his Telegram channel that the "consequences of the airstrike on Ryazan are being addressed, with all emergency services working."
However, he did not clarify exactly what had happened.
Local residents posted videos on social media showing several fire outbreaks on the territory of the Ryazan Oil Refinery, which is part of the Rosneft company.
During the drone strike, equipment used for refining oil into fuel could have been damaged.
The Ryazan Oil Refinery, under the control of Rosneft, has a stated processing capacity of up to 17 million tons per year, making it one of the largest refineries in Russia. It is located more than 450 kilometers from the Ukrainian border and serves as the main supplier of motor fuel to the regions around the Russian capital.
