Ukrainian Drones Slam Russian Oil Refinery, Sparking Inferno – Again

Ukrainian drones attacked the Ryazan Oil Refinery on the night of Jan. 26, the second time in three days, causing a large-scale fire, according to media accounts. 

Kyiv also hit the a Russian forward command post located near the village of Korenevo, Kursk Oblast, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that 15 Ukrainian drones were destroyed by air defense systems – eight over the Ryazan region, six over the Kursk region, and one over the Belgorod region, in Russia.

Overnight, the governor of Ryazan Oblast, Pavel Malkov, reported on the drone attack.

Russian telegram channels, citing eyewitnesses, claim that the Ryazan refinery was again the target of the attack. The ASTRA telegram channel reported that the refinery was likely on fire after the attack.

ASTRA geolocated the footage of the fire, which has been distributed in local media and chat rooms. It assessed that the fire was indeed filmed in Ryazan, in the area of the plant, but given the previous attack on the same facility on the night of Jan. 23-24, it is hard to confirm the date of filming.

The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU writes that the Ryazan refinery has been cordoned off, and a large number of fire engines are arriving at the plant.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, confirmed the strike on the refinery in his Telegram channel, writing: “The Ryazan refinery is doing its job. This is fuel for military equipment and not only.”

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Temporary restrictions on the arrival and departure of aircraft are reported to have been introduced early Sunday morning at the airports of Izhevsk and Kazan, a representative of Rosaviatsia said in a telegram. The airports suspended flights “for the safety of civilian aircraft flights.”

The restrictions were lifted at the Kazan airport at 7 a.m. local time, and the Izhevsk airport was opened half an hour later.

On the night Jan. 23-24 of Russian authorities reported that more than 120 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV – drones) were launched against several Russian regions overnight on. It was reported by Russian media that the strikes resulted in damage to industrial, oil, and energy facilities, as well as disrupting airport operations.