Fire in Moscow, explosions in Sevastopol, drone attack on oil depot in Krasnodar Krai: where Russians witnessed blasts and blazes this week

Read more about the blasts in Russia and the temporarily occupied territories in Espreso's weekly review.

Fire in a theater in Moscow, an oil tanker in the Krasnodar Territory and a furniture factory in the Chelyabinsk Region

• On the night of January 24, a large-scale fire broke out at a furniture factory in the Chelyabinsk region, Russia. The fire engulfed 3,600 square meters. Two kilometers from the village of Baturinsky, the roof of the furniture factory was on fire. Over 60 specialists and 18 pieces of equipment were on the scene and eventually localized the fire. There was no information about the victims.
• On the morning of January 24, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported an alleged drone attack on the Oryol region. Air defense systems were allegedly operating in the region and shot down four drones over the territory of the region. According to the governor of the Oryol region, Andrey Klychkov, rescue services and law enforcement agencies were deployed to 2 districts. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties.
• On the night of January 25, a fire erupted at an oil depot in the Russian city of Tuapse, Krasnodar Territory, following a drone attack. This incident is reported to be a special operation by the Security Service of Ukraine. The vacuum and atmospheric columns, essential components of the primary processing unit for oil products, sustained damage. "The SBU is striking deep into Russia and continues to attack facilities that are not only important for the Russian economy but also provide fuel for enemy troops. There will be many surprises to come, the systematic work continues," the source said. Russian Telegram channels reported that the fire could have been caused by a drone attack, and explosions were heard in the city before the fire, probably from air defense. Residents also reported sighting several drones before and after the fire. Sochi airport was closed during the air raid. Four airplanes landed at the backup airport in Mineralnye Vody.
• On the night of January 25-26, the Russian authorities accused Ukraine of shelling the village of Tiotkino, Kursk region. Residents of Tiotkino experienced heating and power shortages. "Due to the damage to the heating main, there is no heating in the houses. Also, part of the village was left without a power supply. Emergency crews will start repairs as soon as it is safe to do so. In addition, the facades and windows of two apartment buildings were damaged. We will definitely assist in the restoration," the Russian authorities stated.
• On Sunday, January 28, a fire occurred in the center of Moscow at the Satire Theater. The fire affected the dome of the theater, with an initial reported area of 200 square meters, later increasing to 250 square meters, as per Russian sources. There were no reported injuries, and individuals present in the theater were evacuated. Emergency responders were at the scene, and some roads in the vicinity were reportedly blocked.

Attack on a military training ground in occupied Ilovaisk and loud explosions

• On the morning of January 25, reports from Russian propaganda media claimed an alleged attack on a military training ground in the temporarily occupied Ilovaisk, Donetsk region. According to these reports, explosions occurred on January 24 at around 3 pm, with claims of casualties among Russian soldiers. The information is sourced from local Telegram channels and residents in the area. However, it's important to note that neither the Russian nor the Ukrainian side officially reported the attack.
• On the morning of Saturday, January 27, residents of the temporarily occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, heard loud explosions. The Russian-installed authorities said that the Russian military was conducting training exercises. The sounds heard by residents resembled those of a missile launch, followed by an explosion that shook windows in the area. Krym.Realii suggests that it was Russian air defense. At the same time, the so-called governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, was quick to say that the sounds of explosions were the result of training by the Russian military. 

Expert opinions

Valeriy Ryabykh, a military expert and development director at Defense Express, an information and consulting company, noted that the war is entering a different stage of combat operations.

"A series of long-range strikes on infrastructure facilities near St. Petersburg indicates that the Ukrainian Armed Forces and other components of the Ukrainian Defense Forces have effective long-range weapons at their disposal. It should be noted that the distance to the target in a straight line is between 700 and 900 km. In order to bypass Russian air defense nodes and various threatening directions, such a trajectory should be about 1,200 km," he explains. 

According to Colonel Serhiy Hrabskyi, Ukraine’s main task of the armed struggle is to bring the war to the territory of Russia.

"Ukraine should strike at Russia's critical and energy infrastructure and focus on this task. It was the Russians who taught us this, no one else. We strike back, this is the so-called boomerang. We can try to destroy this or that plant, but in today's times, when production is very dispersed and can be transferred to other areas and capacities, it makes more sense to try to destroy energy facilities. Without power, Russian factories will not work," says Serhiy Hrabskyi.