Drone strike ignites major fire at Russian refinery
A fire broke out at a refinery and power plant in Ryazan, Russia, following a drone attack. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the destruction of 49 drones across several regions. Local authorities acknowledged the attack but did not disclose details about the targets.
During the night of 23rd to 24th January, a fire broke out at an oil refinery and the nearby Novo-Ryazanskaya power plant in Ryazan. According to the Ukrainian service UNN, the incident was caused by a drone attack. The Russian Ministry of Defence announced the destruction of 49 unmanned aerial vehicles in various regions of the country.
Photos and videos from the scene appeared on Russian Telegram channels, showing the burning refinery. The Ryazan Oil Refinery Company (RNPK) is a part of Rosneft. Its production capacity is approximately 18.8 million tonnes of oil per year. The refinery also supplies petrol, diesel, as well as aviation and marine fuels.
Regional authorities, including Governor Pavel Malkov, confirmed the attack but did not state whether the refinery was the main target.
The Russian Telegram channel ASTRA published photos and videos from Ryazan with the caption: "We no longer have a factory in Ryazan."
Earlier, a court in Moscow ordered the concealment of all maps and photos of the facility due to fears of drone attacks. The refinery in Ryazan is part of the Rosneft conglomerate. As a result of the attack, operations at airports in Moscow were halted.
