Ukrainian drones target Shahed storage site, industrial facilities in Russia, military claims
Editor's note: This story was updated to include statements from Ukraine’s General Staff and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
A series of drone attacks targeted industrial facilities in Russia's Ryazan, Penza, Samara and Voronezh oblasts overnight on Aug. 2, Ukraine's General Staff reported.
This confirmation follows earlier reports from Russian officials about a drone attack on Russian territory.
In Ryazan, an oil refinery was reportedly struck, with videos shared on social media showing a large pillar of fire near the site.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov said debris from a drone fell on the territory of an unspecified enterprise and that emergency crews were addressing the damage.
In Penza, the Elektropribor plant was allegedly targeted. Russian Telegram channels reported five explosions over the city. Regional officials have not publicly commented on the incident.
In Samara Oblast, the Novokuibyshevsky oil refinery, located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Samara, was reportedly on fire following a drone strike. Videos posted on local Telegram channels appeared to show flames rising from the refinery.
Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed a drone strike in the region but did not name the specific facility. He said mobile internet access has been temporarily restricted and that the Samara airport was closed following the incident.
Ukrainian drones also targeted the Annanefteprodukt fuel and lubricants storage base near the village of Anna in Voronezh Oblast, the General Staff said.
Additionally, Ukrainian drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) targeted the Primorsko-Akhtarsk military airfield in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, striking storage and launch facilities for Shahed kamikaze drones, the SBU claimed. Following the attack, a fire reportedly broke out near the airfield.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
Both Elektropribor and the Novokuibyshevsky refinery are subject to international sanctions. The refinery is owned by Rosneft, a Russian state-controlled energy company sanctioned by the United States in 2014 following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.
The Ukrainian military called the attack a "response" to Russia's recent strikes on civilian infrastructure in the country.
The strike across Russia come just a day after Moscow launched a barrage of drones and missiles on Kyiv on July 31, killing at least 31 people and injuring 179 in one of the deadliest attacks on Ukraine's capital since the start of the full-scale invasion.
