Violent explosions

Ukraine strikes Russian refinery with drones

(Bild: x.com (Screenshot))

Ukraine attacked numerous areas in Russia with a swarm of drones on Friday night and set fire to an oil refinery in Ryazan. A neighboring combined heat and power plant in the city, 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow, was also reportedly hit.

Videos were circulated on Telegram showing large explosions in the capital Ryazan. A fuel depot and a power plant are also said to have been hit. The local civil defense spoke of a fire in an industrial building. The regional leadership of Ryazan only reported that drones had been shot down.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 127 Ukrainian combat drones were repelled. The number cannot be verified, but indicates a massive attack. Drones were shot down in the area surrounding the capital Moscow, its mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced.

Airports temporarily suspended operations
The area around St. Petersburg further north was also affected. There were no reports of possible casualties or damage. Nine airports in Moscow and the Volga region temporarily suspended operations due to the threat of drones, according to the state news agency TASS.

Several dead in attack on Kiev region
Three people were killed by Russian drone attacks near the Ukrainian capital Kiev. This was reported by the Ukrainian police. Eleven apartments in a high-rise building were destroyed, while eight private homes were damaged in another location. Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for almost three years.

According to local reports, two people were killed in a Russian attack near the Ukrainian capital Kiev. At least two other people were injured in a fire in a residential building, as the acting head of the Kiev military administration announced on the online service Telegram.

Since US President Donald Trump took office, Kiev and Moscow have been trying to strengthen their position for possible negotiations in the Ukraine war. Trump had announced his intention to end the conflict immediately after his return to the White House. There were initially fears in Ukraine that the country could be forced to make concessions to Russia by withholding aid.

Trump increases pressure on the Kremlin
This week, however, Trump also increased the pressure on the Kremlin and threatened to impose tougher sanctions and tariffs if the war, which has now been going on for almost three years, is not brought to an end soon.