Drone attacks reportedly cause fire, damage energy infrastructure in Russia's Belgorod, Oryol oblasts

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Local Russian authorities, as well as local media, reported that drone attacks overnight on July 29 caused damage to energy infrastructure along Russia's western border region.

Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that air defenses had downed 39 drones across five Russian oblasts.

As a result of an alleged drone attack overnight on July 29, a fire broke out at a energy substation in the community of Tomarovka in Russia's Belgorod Oblast, local media outlet Pepel Belgorod reported.

The fire broke around 2 a.m. local time. Residents reported seeing drones overhead and hearing sounds of explosion, Telegram channel ASTRA reported.

Earlier in the night, Andrey Klychkov, governor of Oryol Oblast, also claimed that drones caused damage to a local power station in the Glazunovka district of Oryol.

Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusev said that debris from a downed drone caused a fire and damaged a critical infrastructure facility in the Ostrogozhsky district, south of the administrative capital of Voronezh. Gusev claimed that the "situation is under control" and that the attacks did not cause any casualties.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.

Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the alleged attacks. Kyiv does not always claim official responsibility for reported attacks on Russian soil.

Overnight on July 28, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed that Ukraine hit the Polyova oil depot in nearby Kursk Oblast, where drone attacks resulted in several fires at oil depots.

Russia's Belgorod and Oryol oblasts are situated near the Ukrainian oblasts of Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk.

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