A fire broke out at an oil refinery in Russia’s southwestern Volgograd region after an overnight drone attack from Ukraine, regional Governor Andrey Bocharov said Friday.
Bocharov said the fire at the Lukoil refinery was caused by debris from a downed drone and was quickly extinguished. One worker was hospitalized due to the incident.
Residents in Volgograd reported hearing explosions and spotting drone activity on the city’s southern outskirts, according to Russian media. Reports suggested that other industrial sites, including a power plant and an oil depot, were also targeted, though these claims have not been officially confirmed.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones across seven regions. These included 25 drones over Rostov, eight over Volgograd, six over Kursk, four over Yaroslavl, and two each over Krasnodar, Belgorod, and Voronezh.
In Voronezh, a drone reportedly crashed into a moving vehicle, injuring the driver, according to Governor Alexander Gusev. Another drone strike shattered windows at an industrial facility.
In Rostov, falling drone debris disrupted power lines, while no casualties or damage were reported in Yaroslavl. Officials in Krasnodar, Kursk, and Belgorod have not yet commented on the attacks.
Meanwhile, Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov arrived in Ukraine’s combat zone on Friday, the Defense Ministry said.
Gerasimov received a briefing from the commander of the Vostok group, which operates in the “special military operation” zone, and acknowledged the group’s recent offensive near the settlements of Velyka Novosilka and Vremivka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
During his visit, Gerasimov awarded state honors to Vostok group soldiers.
His visit came a day after Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov also toured the combat zone.