Drones hit oil refinery in Russia's Kaluga, contradicting governor's claims
Three drones hit an oil refinery in Russia's Kaluga region. Contrary to the region's governor's initial claims that all four unmanned drones were intercepted, evidence of a powerful explosion surfaced online.
7:39 AM EDT, March 15, 2024
According to Astra and RBK-Ukraine, the explosion took place in the village of Polotnyany Zavod, located about 107 miles from Moscow's center. Footage of the drone attack has been captured and shared.
The governor's false assurance
It appears Governor Vladislav Shapsha misled the public. "This evening, in the Dzerzhinsky area, air defence forces shot down four unmanned aerial vehicles. There were no casualties or infrastructure damage. A working group is assessing the site" - he claimed on Telegram.
However, the Russian service Astra highlighted that air defences only neutralized one drone, with the remaining three striking the oil refining equipment at the Petrochemical Plants First Factory.
Recent attacks on Russian refineries
RBK-Ukraine, sourcing its information, suggests that Ukrainian intelligence orchestrated the attack. Kyiv has yet to officially comment.
This incident marks another in a series of recent assaults on Russian refineries. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) verified conducting drone strikes on three refineries in Russia on Wednesday. The targeted facilities were the Rosneft refinery in Ryazan, Lukoil in Kstovo, and Surgutneftegas in Kirishi. Russia reported that up to 65 drones were deployed in the attack.
