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Ukrainian drone attacks spark fires at Russian gas facility, industrial sites Europe

Ukrainian drone attacks on Tuesday sparked fires at a gas facility and industrial sites in Russia's energy-rich region of Tatarstan and the southwestern cities of Engels and Saratov.

Issued on: 14/01/2025 - 10:06

1 min By: NEWS WIRES File photo of Russian rescue workers in the courtyard of a building following a drone attack in Kazan taken December 21, 2024. © Mayor's Office of Kazan's Telegram account via AFP

Ukrainian drone attacks on Tuesday set alight a gas facility and industrial sites hundreds of kilometres from one another in Russia, authorities said.

In the energy-rich region of Tatarstan, a drone hit a gas storage tank, sending flames and thick smoke billowing toward the sky near the city of Kazan, according to media and the regional government.

More than 600 kilometres (373 miles) southwest of Kazan, a "massive drone attack" damaged two industrial sites, according to the regional governor.

Tatarstan local media said the drone had struck a liquefied gas storage site near a chemical factory near Kazan, and published images showing flames and black smoke surging toward the sky.

"A gas tank caught fire... following a drone attack," the local government said on the Telegram messaging service, adding that nobody was hurt.

Meanwhile in Engels,  "two industrial sites were damaged" following a "massive drone attack", regional governor Roman Bussargin wrote on Telegram.

One of the sites was on fire, he added.

Schools in Saratov and Engels will hold classes online on Tuesday because of the attacks, he said.

The attack on Engels came days after a January 8 drone strike sparked a fire at an oil site that killed two firefighters and took five days to put out, according to local authorities.

Ukraine regularly hits military and energy sites in Russia, in retaliation against Russian strikes on its territory that began when Moscow sent troops into its neighbour in February 2022.

Russia and Ukraine have upped their strikes on one another ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Trump has said that he aimed to stop the nearly three-year conflict and each side wants to be in the strongest negotiating position before the new US administration begins any talks on ending the conflict.

(AFP)

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• Russia
• Ukraine
• drones
• energy
• energy security

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