Azernews.Az

AzerNEWS Staff

Read more

A large-scale drone attack was reported across several Russian regions on Friday, 25 September, with an industrial facility in Perm coming under attack and casualties reported in Ulyanovsk and Voronezh.

Perm Governor Dmitry Makhonin said that Russian air defence units and mobile fire groups were responding to what he described as a “massive” drone attack across the Perm region. He said an industrial facility had been targeted, although he did not identify the site. No casualties were reported at the time of his statement.

Russian and Ukrainian monitoring channels subsequently reported that the target was the LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery in Perm. The refinery is one of Russia’s major oil-processing facilities. Independent confirmation of the exact site and extent of any damage was not immediately available. Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports.

The reported attack comes after a series of drone strikes on the Perm oil facility this year. The refinery was previously reported to have been targeted in April, May, July and August. Reuters reported that operations at the refinery were suspended following the 21 August attack.

The Perm facility is located more than 1,500 kilometres from Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials and media reports. Ukraine's Security Service previously said its long-range drones had struck the refinery and associated oil infrastructure in April and May.

The latest attack was part of a wider wave of drone activity reported across Russia.

In the Voronezh region, Governor Alexander Gusev said air defence systems had detected and destroyed 88 drones overnight over Voronezh and at least six districts of the region. Four people were reportedly injured, while residential buildings, vehicles and industrial facilities sustained damage.

In Ulyanovsk, eight people, including one child, were injured in the attack, according to regional Governor Alexei Russkikh. He said both industrial and civilian infrastructure had been damaged. Five of the injured adults and the child were reported to be in moderate condition, while the remaining adults sustained lighter injuries.

Classes at schools and colleges across the Ulyanovsk region were cancelled as authorities responded to the attack.

The attacks highlight the continued reach of long-range drone strikes against Russian energy and industrial infrastructure, with Perm among the most distant locations repeatedly targeted during the current wave of attacks.