Russia burns as fireball erupts from plant 'hit by drone'

Russia: Ukrainian drones attack local oil depot in Orel

A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in the western Russian city of Oryol overnight on December 14, seemingly as the result of a Ukrainian drone strike.

Russian Telegram channels and videos shared by local residents suggest that explosions rocked the area shortly after midnight local time.

Andrey Klychkov, governor of Oryol Oblast, claimed that 11 drones were intercepted over the region, and the fire at the oil depot was quickly localised. No casualties have been reported.

However, footage circulating on social media - and shared by, among others, former Ukrainian interior ministerial adviser Anton Geraschenko - appears to show a drone striking a storage tank, resulting in an explosion and subsequent blaze.

Residents reported seeing at least one tank engulfed in flames, though it remains unclear which oil depot was targeted.

Ukraine’s military has yet to comment on the attack, and it rarely confirms to be behind drone missions launched outside of its borders, with the extent of the damage unknown. Russia authorities have not confirmed whether there were casualties from the alleged attack.

The oil depot is shown in flames in clips circulating on social media (Image: Astra)

This latest strike comes as Ukraine continues to target Russian infrastructure near the border to disrupt the country’s military supply chains.

On December 11, Ukrainian forces reportedly struck the Druzhba oil pipeline near Bryansk, igniting another fire, according to Ukraine’s Armed Forces General Staff.

Oryol Oblast lies in western Russia, bordered by the Kursk, Bryansk, and Tula regions. Over the past year, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted Russia’s oil and military supply networks, aiming to weaken Moscow’s war capabilities.

The oil sector, vital to sustaining Russia’s war machine, has been a particular focus of these operations.

As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine grinds on, the war is increasingly spilling across borders, with strikes deep inside Russian territory becoming more frequent.

This latest explosion in Oryol underscores the escalating intensity of the conflict and Ukraine’s determination to hit key Russian targets.

Ukraine has increasingly leveraged drones and missile strikes to target critical components of Russia's war machine, disrupting supply chains, damaging infrastructure, and undermining military capabilities. These strikes have included attacks on oil depots, railway lines, and airbases deep within Russian territory.

Western-supplied equipment, including precision-guided missiles and advanced drone technologies, has been instrumental in enhancing Ukraine's ability to conduct these operations effectively.

Firefighters try to remove debris following a fire in a garage in Kostiantynivka on Thursday (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

High-profile strikes, such as those on Russia's Black Sea Fleet and its strategic bomber bases, have demonstrated Ukraine's capacity to hit key targets, even hundreds of miles from the frontlines.

Russia has retaliated by unleashing relentless missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, aiming to cripple the country’s power grid and weaken civilian morale.

In one of the most extensive barrages in recent weeks, Russia launched dozens of missiles and drones on Friday, targeting cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa.

The strikes disrupted power supplies to millions, underscoring Moscow’s intent to use winter as a weapon against Ukraine's population.