Ukrainian officials confirmed that a Ukrainian drone attacked an oil storage depot in western Russia, causing a large fire. The drone set fire to four oil reservoirs with a total capacity of 6,000 cubic meters (1.6 million gallons) in Klintsy, a city near the Ukrainian border.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to target more locations within Russian border regions throughout the year, prompting the city of Belgorod to cancel its traditional Orthodox Epiphany activities due to the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes. It marked the first significant public event canceled in Russia due to the drone threat.
Ukrainian national media cited a Ukrainian intelligence official claiming that Ukrainian drones struck a gunpowder mill in Tambov, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Moscow. However, Tambov Governor Maxim Yegorov stated that the plant was operating normally, despite reports of a Ukrainian drone falling on the premises but causing no significant damage.
In another incident, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that a Ukrainian drone was shot down on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. The wreckage fell on the premises of the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, with the terminal’s co-owner confirming that the drone was targeting the facility. St. Petersburg is about 900 kilometers (560 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
Air defenses in Klintsy jammed the Ukrainian drone before it dropped its explosive payload, according to Bryansk regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz. Although no casualties were reported, the fire was difficult to extinguish, requiring specialized equipment to contain it. The depot had been targeted by a Ukrainian drone in May of the previous year, with this recent strike causing more significant damage.