Drones operated by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Special Operations Forces (SSO) targeted the Andreapol oil pumping station and a missile arsenal in Russia’s Tver region, Ukrainian intelligence sources told Kyiv Post.
“This night, the SBU and the SSO carried out a joint special operation to destroy the Andreapol oil pumping station, a critical part of the Baltic Pipeline System-2,” a source said.
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According to the source, the drone strike damaged the station’s filtration pump platform and fuel additive tanks, causing an oil spill and fire.
“The Russians were forced to halt the main pipeline supplying oil to the Ust-Luga terminal in the Leningrad region,” the source added.
Andreapol plays a crucial role in Russia’s energy infrastructure. Commissioned in 1982 as part of the Surgut-Polotsk main oil pipeline, it is a vital part of oil transit to Belarus.
Another key target was the 23rd missile arsenal of the Russian Defense Ministry. Ukrainian drones struck the warehouse itself and three buildings of the military unit. Residents reported over 20 explosions and talked about evacuations on social media.
“The SBU, together with the Defense Forces, continues to strike military and logistical facilities inside enemy territory, reducing Russia’s capacity to wage war against Ukraine,” the source said.
He added that the attacks – what he called “drone sanctions” – are proving effective and will continue.
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Meanwhile, the Russian Telegram channel ASTRA reported audible explosions in the Tver region early on Jan. 29, with at least 29 drones involved in the attack.
According to ASTRA, more than 20 drones hit an ammunition depot and the adjacent military unit. The facility, along with three military buildings, sustained damage. However, there was reportedly no ammunition present during the attack.
This is not the first attack on the 23rd missile arsenal – back in September 2024, an attack damaged 58 buildings, according to satellite imagery.
On Jan. 29, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) launched a drone attack on Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region, targeting the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Kstovo – one of Russia’s largest oil processing facilities, Kyiv Post sources in Ukraine’s special services said.
All four drones reportedly reached their targets, damaging the refinery’s tank farm. Videos circulating on Russian social media show a massive fire at the site.
The refinery had previously been hit by a drone attack in early 2024, which caused equipment damage and forced a shutdown for up to two months.
The strike was part of a broader overnight drone attack across Russia, with more than 100 drones targeting nine different regions.
In Russia’s Smolensk region, local governor Vasily Anokhin claimed that one drone targeted a “nuclear power facility.” He did not specify which but said a drone was intercepted and destroyed, with no reported casualties or damage.
Later, the Russian Telegram channel SHOT reported that debris from the downed drone fell near the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant in Desnogorsk.
This marked the third-largest drone assault on Russia in 2024, following a Jan. 14 strike involving over 200 drones and a Jan. 24 attack where Ukrainian forces launched more than 121 drones at Russian military and industrial targets.
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