Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Russia’s Kirov region, located some 700 kilometers east of Moscow, regional authorities said Wednesday, marking the first such attack on the region since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
“Two drones were shot down, and three fell on the grounds of the Zenit plant in the town of Kotelnich, where they caught fire,” Kirov region Governor Alexander Sokolov said, adding that the fire was quickly extinguished.
Sokolov said there was no reported damage or disruption to the facility’s operations.
The Kirov region is located over 1,000 kilometers from Russia’s southwestern border with Ukraine, and until Wednesday, it had not faced any attacks since the 2022 invasion.
There was no immediate comment from Russia’s Defense Ministry about the drone downings.
The attack on the Zenit oil depot occurred shortly after Ukrainian drones hit the Atlas oil depot in the southern Rostov region, causing a major fire there. Russian media previously reported that the Atlas depot had supplied fuel to the Russian military during drills.
Meanwhile, a third oil depot, Kavkaz, has been burning for 10 days in the Rostov region following a similar drone strike. All three depots are managed by Russia’s Federal Agency for State Reserves.
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