Russia Says 83 Ukrainian Drones Downed – But 12 Explosions Reported in Lipetsk

In the early hours of Thursday, Feb. 13, Russia’s Lipetsk region was subjected to a massive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack, according to the regional head, Igor Artamonov. Local residents have been reporting more than 12 explosions in the industrial part of Lipetsk city on social media.

The Russian Telegram channel “Shot” claims that drones were probably targeted on the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Complex (NLMK) - the largest steel manufacturing enterprise in Russia, responsible for about 20 percent of the country’s steel production. The plant was previously hit by drones on Feb. 24 last year, causing a fire.

Following the attack, power outages were recorded in several districts of the city. Russia’s energy engineers are said to be currently working on reconnecting the supply. Debris from one of the shot-down UAV fell on the premises of the Lipetsk aeration station, injuring an employee.

The governor reported that a female victim was taken to the hospital with shrapnel wounds, where she is receiving all necessary care but noted that the station’s operations were not disrupted. He also claimed that debris had fallen on two private houses, but no casualties were reported.

The Lipetsk region is located in the central part of the Russian Federation, more than 150 kilometers (94 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

According to a report by the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 83 Ukrainian drones overnight - 37 over the Bryansk region, 12 in each of the Kursk and Lipetsk regions, 9 over the Tver region, 3 each over the Belgorod, Kaluga, Smolensk, and Voronezh regions, and one over the Rostov region.

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Kyiv has not officially commented on any possible involvement in the drone attack, but its armed forces have increasingly used drones to strike targets that support Moscow’s combat capability.

Hits against oil depots and factories are intended to disrupt logistics chains and reduce the supply of fuel, materials, and resources needed for military equipment and operations.

Such action not only impacts Russia’s materiel base but also has a psychological effect by demonstrating the ability of Ukraine to strike strategically important targets.

Ukrainian strikes already reach deep into Russian territory. Domestically made UAVs have carried out dozens of successful missions, hitting Russian oil refineries and storage sites, inflicting significant damage on Russia’s economy. Gas and diesel price hikes have further added to Russia’s huge losses from the forced suspension of exports.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, in 80 percent of attacks, Ukraine has used its long-range “Liutiy” kamikaze drone.

Liutiy (meaning “fierce”) is a Ukrainian long-range strike UAV capable of hitting targets at distances up to 1,000 kilometers (625 miles). Its capability has been proven by a series of successful attacks on Russian oil refineries, fuel depots, helicopter bases and other strategic facilities in Sochi, Adler, St. Petersburg, Novolipetsk, Ryazan, Nizhniy Novgorod and Tatarstan.