Ukrainian drones strike train station, rail infrastructure amid large-scale attack on Russia's Rostov Oblast

Ukraine's military reportedly launched a large-scale drone attack on Russia's Rostov Oblast overnight on July 29, striking a railway station in the town of Salsk, local officials reported.
Videos posted on social media by local residents and geolocated by the Russian Telegram channel Astra appear to show large flames emanating from the railway station.
Confirming the attack, Rostov Oblast Acting Governor Yuri Slusar said on Telegram that a civilian vehicle was damaged, killing the driver.
Russian Railways, the state-owned railway operator, reported that the attack damaged overhead power lines, forcing the suspension of train traffic through Salsk station.
Ukraine's military rarely comments on drone strikes on Russian territory, although it has regularly targeted the region with drones. Located near the Azov Sea and bordering Ukraine, Rostov Oblast plays a crucial logistical role for Russia's war effort due to its proximity to front-line operations
Elsewhere in Salsk, located about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southeast of occupied Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian drones reportedly struck homes as well as vehicles, killing the driver of one of the automobiles, Slusar claimed.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Russian officials.
Another fire was reported near the village of Orlovsky in Rostov Oblast where a drone reportedly struck a traction substation used power to railway infrastructure.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that a total of 74 Ukrainian drones were shot down over various regions of the country overnight.
Fuel depots, rail infrastructure, and ammunition stockpiles inside Russia and occupied territories have increasingly become targets for long-range drone and missile strikes.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has struck other Russian railway stations in the region. Overnight July 21, a fire broke out at a train station in the village of Kamenolomni in Rostov Oblast overnight July 21 causing damage to the railway station's building.
