Russia reports massive drone attack: industrial zone on fire, airports temporarily halt operations. Video

Russia reported a massive drone attack on a number of Russian regions. Explosions were heard in Rostov-on-Don, Novomoskovsk, Tula region, and Engels, Saratov region. An oil refinery was in the crosshairs in Volgograd, and an "industrial facility" caught fire in Kaluga region.

Rosaviatsiya closed seven airports at once in the wake of the attack, Russian media reported. And the Russian Defense Ministry boasted of "intercepting and destroying" 40 Ukrainian drones over 4 regions.

The Russian city of Volgograd was one of those that suffered on the night of February 15. Local residents complained about a huge number of explosions, and propagandists admitted that unknown drones may "hunt for" an oil refinery in the Krasnoarmeysky district.

"More than 15 explosions have already occurred over Volgograd. Ukrainian UAVs were flying towards the oil refinery in the Krasnoarmeysky district. Eyewitnesses said that powerful explosions did not stop for about 45 minutes. Car alarms went off in the yards. According to the residents, there is no damage in the city. The explosions over Volgograd have not stopped yet," wrote one of the pro-war channels.

However, the "absence of damage in the city" was short-lived: after a while, Russia said that the UAV had crashed into one of the high-rise buildings. As a confirmation, the Russian media published a video shot by an eyewitness: it shows the moment of the explosion, but it is not clear whether the "destroyed" drone actually fell on the roof of the building or whether Russian air defense tried to shoot it down directly over the building.

Initially, Russian media claimed that no one was injured, but later they wrote about one wounded person. And local authorities reported a "small fire in the industrial zone" due to "falling debris." According to the governor of the region, all drones were "neutralized."

"A UAV fell on the roof of a residential building in Volgograd. One person was injured, authorities said," the Russian state media wrote.

This is not the first time Ukrainian drones have tried to hit the Volgograd Refinery.

"Unknown UAVs attacked Volgograd, where the local refinery was among the targets on the list, among other things. Russian air defense and electronic warfare were working. Let me remind you that the Volgograd Refinery is a fat target because it is one of the top ten in Russia. This is not the first attack, and the Russians are trying their best to defend it," said Andriy Kovalenko, head of the National Security and Defense Council's Center for Countering Disinformation.

Russians living in the Kaluga region also did not sleep: they heard explosions around 6 a.m. local time (about 5 a.m. in Kyiv).

A little later, the governor of the region, Vladislav Shapsha, admitted that the drone attack was not without consequences.

"A building caught fire on the territory of an industrial enterprise in the Dzerzhinsky district as a result of a UAV falling. Rescue teams and an operational group arrived at the scene. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties," he wrote.

He did not specify which enterprise was hit. However, in the same Dzerzhinsky district, there is, for example, First Plant LLC, the largest oil refinery in the Kaluga region, with a nominal capacity of 1.2 million tons per year. Drones have already hit it at least twice - in March and May last year.

The night was also uneasy for the residents of Tula and Saratov regions.

"Local residents heard at least five explosions. According to them, the drones were flying at low altitude in the Sokolniki district of Novomoskovsk. Similar reports came from Engels (Saratov region) and Volgograd. Air defense was working to shoot down targets. There has been no official information yet," the propagandists wrote.

In addition, Russian media also reported a drone attack on Rostov-on-Don, though with little or no detail.

Meanwhile, Rosaviatsiya initiated the Kovyor (Carpet) Plan at seven airports at once.

"Temporary restrictions on the reception and departure of aircraft in the early morning were introduced at the airports of Astrakhan, Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Grozny, Kaluga, Saratov and Ulyanovsk," the statement said.

Later, the restrictions were lifted in Volgograd. And closer to 7 a.m. Kyiv time, the rest of the airports resumed operations.

It is unclear why the Russians would restrict flights. After all, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, all drones were "destroyed."

"Last night, air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 40 Ukrainian drones: 17 UAVs - over the territory of Volgograd region, 12 UAVs - over the territory of Kaluga region, 9 UAVs - over the territory of Rostov region and 2 UAVs - over the territory of Saratov region," they said.

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