Drone attacks strike Russia: explosions near Volgograd refinery, fire at Astrakhan gas plant

On Monday morning, Russia's Ministry of Defense reported that their air defense had intercepted and destroyed "70 Ukrainian drones" during the previous night.

Specifically, the ministry claimed that 27 drones were shot down over the Rostov region, 25 over the Volgograd region, seven over the Astrakhan region, five over the Voronezh region, four over the Belgorod region, and two over the Kursk region.

Explosions in Volgograd: possible attack on refinery

Explosions in Volgograd were reported overnight by the Russian propagandist Telegram channel Baza.

"Residents of Volgograd report explosions and a drone attack on the city. Preliminary information suggests an attempt to target the local refinery owned by Lukoil," the post states.

However, the channel claims that the refinery was not damaged by falling debris and continues to operate.

It is also noted that after the explosions, several districts of the city experienced power outages.

On the morning of February 3, Volgograd region governor Andrei Bocharov commented on the situation. According to him, Russia’s Defense Ministry air defense forces allegedly repelled a massive drone attack on the region.

"Most of the UAVs were intercepted and neutralized. There were no casualties. Due to falling debris, localized fires broke out at the oil refinery but were quickly contained. There were also brief power fluctuations in the electrical grid. Power supply to Volgograd and nearby municipalities is fully operational," Bocharov added.

Astrakhan attack: drones target gas processing plant

That same night, unknown drones also attacked the outskirts of Astrakhan, targeting a gas processing plant.

Regional governor Igor Babushkin later confirmed the strike on an energy facility and a fire. However, he did not specify whether the blaze occurred at a Gazprom site. According to Babushkin, the attack was allegedly carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

"Last night, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted a drone attack on facilities in the region, including the fuel and energy complex. Electronic warfare and air defense systems operated as expected. A fire broke out when one of the drones crashed. There were no casualties," the governor stated.

Meanwhile, the head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, stated that the Astrakhan gas processing plant is one of Russia's key energy facilities, responsible for processing gas condensate and producing gasoline, diesel fuel, and more.

According to Kovalenko, the plant impacts Russia's military-industrial complex, as the fuel and energy sector is the main source of defense funding.

• On the night of January 31, units of Ukraine's UAV Forces and the Main Intelligence Directorate, in coordination with other branches of the Defense Forces, struck Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka LLC in Russia's Volgograd region.