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Drone strikes target multiple Russian regions, hit oil refinery in Nizhny Novgorod

by Olena Goncharova January 29, 2025 2:34 AM 2 min read

Photo for illustrative purposes. The Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery, operated by OAO Lukoil, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on Dec. 4, 2014. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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LATEST: '4 out of 4' — Russian Lukoil oil refinery struck by multiple Ukrainian drones, military intelligence source claims

Ukraine launched waves of drone attacks targeting oil and power facilities in western parts of Russia overnight on Jan. 29, according to local officials.

Drone strikes were reported across several Russian regions, including the Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Tver, and Bryansk regions, causing fires and prompting air defense responses.

The Kyiv Independent can't immediately verify the reports.

While there were no reported casualties, an oil refinery in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, sustained significant damage. Local Telegram channels reported that drones targeted the "Lukoil Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez" oil refinery, resulting in a large fire.

Video footage circulating online showed flames at the facility, which local monitoring channels identified as the likely target of the attack.

Governor Gleb Nikitin confirmed that air defense systems had shot down multiple drones, and fragments from the intercepted UAVs fell on the industrial site. No injuries were reported.

In the Smolensk region, Governor Vasily Anokhin reported a "massive drone attack" on civilian infrastructure. One drone was intercepted while attempting to strike a nuclear energy facility. Nearby, air defenses also destroyed several drones around the town of Andreapol, home to approximately 8,000 people, in the Tver region, according to the local governor.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that air defense systems had shot down 26 drones in the Bryansk region. Bryansk lies west of embattled Kursk Oblast, north of Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, and east of the Belarusian border.

Despite the scale of the attacks, no injuries or damage were reported in the area.

Author: Olena Goncharova

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