Four Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Lukoil refinery early Wednesday morning causing fires and significant damage, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence. A Lukoil sign is seen here in Moscow. File Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE
Jan. 29 (UPI) — Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Lukoil refinery early Wednesday morning causing fires and significant damage, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence.
The Kyiv Independent, citing Ukraine military intelligence service HUR, said four drones hit the refinery supporting Russian occupation forces at close to midnight local time.
Local Telegram channels reported the attack on the Lukoil facility caused a large fire, online video showed the flames and Russian Nizhny Novgorod Gov. Gleb Nikitin said fragments of drones hit the facility as air defense systems shot at them.
Russian Smolensk region Gov. Vasily Anokhin described a “massive drone attack” and claimed one drone was intercepted while trying to hit a nuclear energy plant.
He said the attack was on “civilian infrastructure.”
The Lukoil refinery is about 500 miles from the front lines in Ukraine.
Russia claimed more than 100 Ukrainian drones were shot down in a big overnight attack that caused St. Petersburg and Kazan airports to cancel overnight flights.
Local Russian officials reported attacks in Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Tver and Bryansk oblasts.
On Jan. 24, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces confirmed an attack on Russia’s Ryazan Oil Refinery and a thermal power plant in Ryazan.
That refinery is Russia’s biggest. According to Ukraine’s military, the attack caused more than 50 explosions and ignited a massive fire.