Drone Strikes on Russian Refineries Highlight Precision, Cause Casualties
1:27 PM EDT, March 13, 2024
The drone strike on the Ryazan refinery left two people injured and in good condition, according to TASS agency reports. However, the regional governor at the scene reported "many people" were injured. "There are also fatalities," he announced on Telegram.
A drone attack sparked a fire at the oil refinery in the Ryazan region. The unmanned aerial vehicles, arriving in the morning, targeted the heat exchangers.
Online attack reports
Despite authorities urging Russians not to share such incidents, numerous recordings and photos of the attack surfaced online, with some even broadcasting it live. In one video, a person expressed astonishment at the accuracy of a Ukrainian drone's strike, commenting, "Wow, it hit the exact same spot."
Truck drivers awaiting their turn at the refinery also captured the event on their smartphones and shared the footage online.
Drones also targeted the Leningrad, Voronezh, and Belgorod regions.
Over 30 drones were intercepted in Voronezh, causing debris to scatter over a market and a substation. "A residential building and a substation suffered damage, and in the Sovetsky district, a store's roof was partially wrecked. Schools in the Buturlinovka area are conducting classes remotely," reported the channel Shot.
Following the attack in Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that up to 45,000 people were left without electricity.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, in a 7 AM statement, confirmed that air defense systems had taken down 58 Ukrainian drones.
A Telegram post detailed that "11 drones were neutralized over the Belgorod region, 8 over Bryansk, another 29 over Voronezh, 8 over Kursk, and one each over Ryazan and Leningrad."
Lukoil and Oryol under attack
This incident is part of a series of massive drone attacks in recent days. On Tuesday, a drone targeted the Lukoil refinery in the Kstovo area of the Nizhny Novgorod region. According to channel 112, the strike was precise, hitting the oil distillation unit and igniting a fire. Additionally, a drone hit the "fuel and energy complex" in Oryol, Russia.
