Drone Strike Triggers Inferno in Rostov Region
In recent months, Russia has been the target of a series of drone attacks that have targeted strategic military, industrial, and energy infrastructure sites across multiple regions, far from Ukraine's border. Here's a look at some of the key incidents and their impact.
January 2025
The year started off with a flurry of drone attacks deep inside Russia. On 14 January, drones struck the Kazan Orgsintez chemical plant near Kazan in Tatarstan, causing explosions and fires. The fuel storage facility supplying Engels air base was also hit. These attacks were officially acknowledged by Russian sources.
Just three days later, an oil depot in Lyudinovo was struck by Ukrainian drones, causing a fire. The Gorbunov Kazan Aviation Plant, where strategic Tu-160 bombers are built, was targeted on 20 January, though damage was reported minimal locally. The Kstovo Refinery in Nizhny Novgorod was attacked on 29 January, causing large fires and explosions. Russian officials downplayed the damage but confirmed a fire lasting two days and temporary production halt. The Volgograd Refinery experienced a fire after Ukrainian drone attacks on 31 January, which was quickly extinguished.
June 2025
On 1 June, the Ukrainian Security Service struck Russian air bases in the Arctic (Olenya), Siberia (Belaya), and others, reportedly destroying numerous strategic bombers including Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 aircraft.
August 2025
Ukraine continued its long-range drone attacks targeting Russian military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia. In August, a record-breaking drone strike traveled over 1,800 kilometers to hit a strategic radar site near Orsk in the Orenburg region. Strikes against Russian oil refineries more than 800-1,000 km from the front line were reported frequently during winter and spring 2025.
Russian drone and missile strikes continued against Ukrainian territory, with smaller scale strikes noted in August as Russia stockpiled weapons ahead of diplomatic summits. Russian sources have officially acknowledged multiple attacks within their territory, particularly those on high-profile industrial and military targets such as Kazan’s chemical plant, aviation plant, and refineries.
Users can subscribe to our site for the latest updates on these developments. Our Telegram channel also provides real-time news from Russia and the world. In the Tula region, a drone threat alert was declared on an unspecified date in July, and the alert was lifted an hour later. Locals reported hearing a distinctive buzzing sound. In the Oryol region, witnesses reported seeing a drone resembling an airplane, and several others reported hearing unusual sounds. Four of these drones were shot down over the Rostov region, one each over the Oryol, Kaluga, and Bryansk regions. A fire broke out near the village of Vasetskiy in the Rostov region and was quickly extinguished by firefighters.
In the Kursk region, a rocket threat was declared, and locals reported hearing the sound of a drone flying from Zheleznogorsk towards the Oryol region. Local Telegram channels in the Oryol region reported a rocket threat, but this information has not been officially confirmed. The Governor of the Rostov region, Yuri Slyusar, reported that drone attacks were repelled in Kamenesk-Shakhtinsky, Novoshakhtinsk, and Krasnosulinsky district. Air defense systems in the Rostov region shot down several drones, causing a fire in one district.
Overall, these drone attacks on Russia have demonstrated increased Ukrainian operational reach, impacting regions as far as Tatarstan, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, and Orenburg, targeting critical defense and energy infrastructure with official Russian acknowledgment of several incidents.
[1] BBC News. (2025). Russia and Ukraine: Drone attacks hit deep inside Russia. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60451326
[2] The Guardian. (2025). Russia claims to have shot down Ukrainian drone over Crimea. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/01/russia-claims-to-have-shot-down-ukrainian-drone-over-crimea
[3] Reuters. (2025). Ukraine says it has attacked Russian oil refinery in Rostov region. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-it-has-attacked-russian-oil-refinery-rostov-region-2025-03-10/
[4] CNN. (2025). Russia says it has repelled drone attacks on its territory. [online] Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/10/europe/russia-ukraine-drone-attacks-intl/index.html
- The escalating war-and-conflicts between Russia and Ukraine have extended to politics and general-news as incidents of drone attacks on Russian military, industrial, and energy infrastructure sites continue to impact multiple regions, including Tatarstan, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, and Orenburg.
- Crime-and-justice issues have intensified as both Russia and Ukraine continue to accuse each other of drone and missile strikes, with Ukraine's long-range drone attacks targeting Russian military and energy infrastructure deep inside Russia and Russia's retaliation on Ukrainian territory.
