An oil refinery in the Russian city of Ryazan was engulfed in flames after Kyiv launched a massive drone attack -- Ukraine's largest since the start of the year -- that targeted more than a dozen regions across the country, including Moscow.
Eyewitness accounts and verified video showed a massive fire at the Rosneft-operated oil refinery in Ryazan early on January 24.
One video posted on Telegram showed a massive fireball and people screaming before running away as fire engulfs an industrial site.
Fires were also reported in the vicinity of the nearby Novo-Ryazan Thermal Power Plant.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, while Russia's Defense Ministry only reported the interception and destruction of over 120 Ukrainian drones across Russian territory.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed the attacks on the Ryazan oil refinery in a statement on Telegram, adding that an oil pumping station in Ryazan was also struck.
Another key target, the statement said, was the Kremniy El microelectronics plant located in Bryansk, one of Russia's leading manufacturers in the microelectronics industry.
The plant produces a wide range of chips and components critical to Russia's strategic military systems, including the Topol-M and Bulava missile complexes, S-300 and S-400 surface-to-air missile systems, and avionics for combat aircraft.
While the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, the Ukrainian military confirmed that the strikes had disrupted key components of Russia’s war machine.
The statement reiterated that such systematic and deliberate strikes on Russian military infrastructure will continue until Russia ceases its armed aggression against Ukraine.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Live Briefing: Starmer Says European Allies Preparing Peace PlanMeanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that six drones were intercepted over the Russian capital, and several others were brought down in the nearby areas of Shchyolkovo, Kolomna, Ramenskoye, and Podolsk.
Sobyanin reported that there were no significant damages or injuries at the sites of the drone wreckage but the attack caused notable disruption to civilian air travel, with operations temporarily suspended at three major Moscow airports -- Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky.
According to the Defense Ministry, in the Bryansk region, 37 drones were intercepted, and other areas such as Kursk and Saratov saw 17 drones downed each. Smaller numbers of drones were intercepted in the Rostov, Belgorod, Voronezh, Tula, Oryol, and Lipetsk regions. The ministry also confirmed the interception of a drone over the annexed Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine.
Temporary restrictions were also placed on flight arrivals and departures at airports in Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Penza, Samara, and Saratov due to the ongoing drone threat.
The scale of the Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia coincided with a series of Russian air strikes on Ukrainian territory.
In Kyiv, a Russian attack resulted in the deaths of three civilians. Damage to residential areas was also reported, including significant destruction in the towns of Fastiv and Brovary near the Ukrainian capital.
Russian forces regularly use various types of weapons, including drones, missiles, and artillery, to target Ukrainian regions, frequently striking civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
While Russian authorities deny intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure, Ukraine and international organizations have condemned these actions as war crimes, pointing to the frequency and deliberate nature of the attacks on hospitals, schools, and energy facilities.