In difficult-to-verify films that are being spread on social media, smoke and fire are seen rising into the sky from a refinery in the city of Sterlitamak, which is located in the republic of Bashkortostan, approximately 1,400 kilometers southeast of Moscow.
At least two explosions were heard there. Local authorities had issued an airstrike early in the morning. Bashkir Governor Radij Chabirov told state-controlled media that two drones were shot down over the refinery and that the damage was caused when they hit the ground. According to him, operations at the refinery have resumed.
The Russian military claims to have stopped a total of 85 Ukrainian drones overnight Tuesday, but it does not usually report on drones that have not been stopped.
More explosions have been reported relatively far into Russia, beyond Moscow. In the Nizhny Novgorod region east of the capital, an oil refinery is reported to have been set on fire by an attack. Difficult-to-verify footage on independent Russian channels shows a large fire there.
Civilian air traffic has been stopped in several Russian cities this morning.
Ukraine also appears to have targeted Russian targets on occupied territory further away from the front line. In Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, several explosions have occurred at an ammunition depot in connection with a drone attack.
