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Drone hits distillery in Russia's Tambov Oblast, local media reports

by Abbey Fenbert January 15, 2025 3:47 AM 2 min read
Screenshot from a video purporting to show a fire at a distillery in Novaya Lyada, Tambov Oblast, Russia, on Jan. 15, 2025. (Astra / Telegram)
This audio is created with AI assistance

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

A drone struck a distillery in the village of Novaya Lyada in Russia's Tambov Oblast the night of Jan. 14, the Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported, citing local residents.

Local residents said a fire broke out at the distillery, which is located near a military training ground.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.

Russian officials have not commented on the alleged attack at the distillery. The government of Tambov Oblast claimed that air defense units intercepted a drone over the region and that it exploded "in a tree."

Previous drone attacks have reportedly targeted Russian alcohol plants, including facilities in Tambov Oblast. The Biokhim distillery in the town of Rasskazovo in Tambov Oblast allegedly caught fire after being struck by a drone in October 2025.

The distillery advertised its manufacture of "products of strategic importance for the state," including ethanol, a solvent used in the production of explosives.

The reported attack on Novaya Lyada comes a day after Ukraine launched its "most massive" attack against Russian military and industrial facilities, with a range of up to 1,100 kilometers (620 miles), overnight on Jan. 13-14.

Ukrainian forces successfully struck chemical plants, refineries, and the Engels airbase's ammunition depots, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.

Ukraine war latest: Ukraine targets Russian industrial plants, ammunition depots in overnight strike
Key developments on Jan. 14: * Ukraine targets Russia’s industrial plants, ammunition depots in ‘massive’ strike overnight * Equipping troops takes priority over lowering draft age, Zelensky says * Ukraine denies transferring Air Force personnel to infantry amid troop shortages * Germany to dep…

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