Fire breaks out near Russian metallurgical plant after reported drone attack

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

A fire has broken out in the Russian industrial city of Balakovo following reports of Ukrainian drone strikes on Oct. 14, according to Telegram monitoring channels.

Footage shows an explosion and subsequent fire after a reported drone strike near a large metallurgical plant in Balakovo, located in the Saratov region, according to reports by the Exilenova+ Telegram channel. The region experienced widespread power outages as a result of the attack, the channel reported.

Balakovo, a city on the east bank of the Volga River, is home to a large steel mill with a stated capacity of over 1 million tons per year, according to the Balakovo Metallurgical Plant’s website. It was not immediately clear as to whether the plant was damaged in the attack.

Saratov’s regional governor claimed that the drone attack damaged several buildings and killed one person in a statement on Telegram.

Elsewhere in Russia, a fire at an oil-loading terminal in Rostov-on-Don was reported to be burning for a fourth day following drone strikes on Oct. 10.

A reported drone strike over the weekend hit the oil terminal, which is located in the city’s industrial Zheleznodorozhny district. The terminal handles petroleum products for export, including shipments from the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery.

Rostov Oblast Regional Governor Yuriy Slyusar claimed that over 100 drones had been struck down that night in a statement on Telegram.

Footage published on the Exilenova+ Telegram channel shows rising flames and a thick cloud of smoke. The fire, which has burned for three days, had died down to a smolder before flaring up again, Exilenova+ reported.

As of Oct. 13, at least eight of the Novoshakhtinsk terminal’s 12 tanks have been put out of service, according to an OSINT analysis by the independent Russian outlet Astra. The facility, which can receive and load an estimated 2.5 to 3.5 million tons of oil products a year, handles exports and also supplies the Russian armed forces, the outlet said.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the reports. No information was immediately available on the extent of the damage for either attack.

While Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the reported attack on the terminal, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian energy facilities in recent months.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump declared an energy ceasefire, and demanded that Ukraine stop targeting Russian oil facilities. He claimed that these attacks contributed to heightened oil prices, widely attributed to the US war in Iran.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to agree to an energy ceasefire if Russian forces stop targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure.