Russia's Lipetsk Oblast came under a "massive raid" by drones on the night of Feb. 13, regional governor Igor Artamonov said.
The drones allegedly targeted the Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), Russia's largest steel mill, which produces about 20% of the country's steel output, according to pro-Kremlin media outlet Shot.
The facility, located around 400 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border, accounts for 80% of NLMK's steel production and is a key asset of Russian billionaire Vladimir Lisin, the third richest Russian on Forbes' 2023 list.
Following the overnight attack, power outages were reported in several districts of Lipetsk. "At the moment, power engineers are reconnecting consumers," Artamonov wrote on Telegram.
Debris from one of the downed drones reportedly fell on the Lipetsk aeration station, injuring an employee who was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed air defense intercepted and destroyed 83 drones overnight, including 37 over Bryansk Oblast, 12 each over Kursk and Lipetsk Oblasts, nine over Tver, and three each over Belgorod, Kaluga, Smolensk, and Voronezh Oblasts.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The incident follows a Feb. 3 strike, when Ukrainian drones targeted an oil refinery in Volgograd and a gas processing plant in Astrakhan, Russia, overnight, according to a source in Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) speaking to the Kyiv Independent.
Daniel Tannebaum
