Russia burns as ferocious Ukrainian drone attacks target 'nuclear facility'

Russia: Oil refinery in Kstovo ablaze after drone strike

A series of drone strikes has targeted oil refineries and power infrastructure in western Russia, according to regional officials.

Ukraine has not claimed responsibility - but the latest wave of attacks comes as part of an escalating campaign against Russian energy facilities in recent weeks.

Drone strikes were reported across multiple Russian regions, including Nizhny Novgorod, Smolensk, Tver, and Bryansk, igniting fires and triggering air defence responses.

While there were no reported casualties, an oil refinery in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod, suffered significant damage.

Local Telegram channels indicated that drones struck the "Lukoil Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez" oil refinery, resulting in a large blaze that took hours to bring under control, reported the Kyiv Independent.

Dramatic footage showed fierce flames at Lukoil Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery (Image: NC)

Video footage circulating online showed towering flames at the facility, which local monitoring groups identified as the primary target of the attack.

Nizhny Novgorod Governor Gleb Nikitin confirmed that air defence systems had intercepted multiple drones, with debris from downed UAVs falling on the industrial site. No injuries were reported.

Former Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Geraschenko, who is among those who shared the footage, commented: "Locals report the fire is getting stronger."

In the Smolensk region, Governor Vasily Anokhin described a "massive drone attack" targeting civilian infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin this week during a visit to the Samara region (Image: Getty)

One drone was intercepted while attempting to strike a nuclear energy facility, Anokhin claimed.

Meanwhile, in the Tver region, air defences destroyed several drones around the town of Andreapol, home to approximately 8,000 people, according to governor Igor Rudenya.

The Russian Ministry of Defence also reported that air defences had shot down 26 drones over the Bryansk region.

Bryansk, which lies west of the heavily militarised Kursk Oblast and north of Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, saw heightened drone activity but reported no injuries or damage.

Such strikes form part of a sustained Ukrainian effort to target Russian energy infrastructure, which has intensified in recent weeks.

Earlier in January, Ukrainian drones reportedly hit multiple oil refineries in Krasnodar Krai, Ryazan, and St Petersburg, temporarily disrupting operations.

Kyiv has increasingly turned to long-range drone attacks in an effort to undermine Russia’s energy sector, a crucial component of its wartime economy.

Russia, led by President Vladimir Putin, has acknowledged the rising frequency of these assaults but insists that its air defences are successfully repelling the majority of threats.

However, reports of fires and damage to strategic sites suggest Ukraine’s drone campaign is having a tangible impact.