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Ukraine strikes Russian drone storage and launch site in Oryol Oblast, damages 5 launchers

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Ukraine strikes Russian drone storage and launch site in Oryol Oblast, damages 5 launchers
A visualization of Russia's new Geran-5 jet-powered drone. (HUR/Telegram)

Ukrainian forces struck a Russian site used to operate attack drones in Oryol Oblast on Sept. 21, damaging five launchers, Ukraine's General Staff said on Sept. 22.

The strike targeted a facility near the settlement of Tsymbulova in Oryol Oblast, roughly 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

At least three drone storage warehouses were hit and caught fire, a launch site used for jet-powered strike drones was damaged, and five launchers were also damaged, according to the General Staff.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the extent of the damage.

"Ukraine's Defense Forces systematically and as a priority target sites used to store, prepare, and launch attack drones in order to reduce Russia's ability to strike civilian targets in Ukraine," the General Staff said.

The strike came amid a broader wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Overnight on Sept. 22, Ukrainian forces also struck the Kuibyshev oil refinery in Samara Oblast. The refinery processes around 7 million metric tons of oil annually and supplies fuel products used by Russia's military-industrial sector and armed forces.

Ukraine frequently targets facilities connected to Russia's drone, missile, and energy infrastructure in an effort to reduce Moscow's capacity to sustain attacks against Ukrainian cities and support its war effort.

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Polina Moroziuk

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Polina Moroziuk is a junior reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She holds an MSc in Human Rights and Politics from the London School of Economics and a BSc from the University of Amsterdam. Before joining the newsroom, she worked in human rights advocacy and as a project assistant at a research and consultancy organisation, supporting projects for international organisations including UNICEF and War Child, with a focus on Ukraine and the Middle East.

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