Overnight on January 14, Russia’s Rostov-on-Don was shaken by a series of powerful explosions amid a drone attack. A ballistic missile was also observed over the city, according to preliminary reports.
A fire broke out at one of the city’s industrial facilities following the attack, Russian outlet Izvestia reported, citing an official statement from local authorities.
“The buildings of an industrial enterprise caught fire as a result of falling UAV debris in Rostov-on-Don,” said the city’s head, Alexander Skryabin.
Meanwhile, monitoring channels reported that a ballistic missile was preliminarily detected over Rostov.
Later reports suggested the local Empils plant may have been hit. The company manufactures decorative paints and coatings as well as zinc oxide. Preliminary information indicated oil storage tanks on the site were burning, but Russian authorities had not confirmed this at the time of publication.
Russian authorities later said residential buildings in Rostov were also affected. Debris from a downed UAV reportedly struck a building around the 14th floor, sparking a fire. Neighboring apartments were also damaged.
According to monitoring channels, the damage to residential buildings resulted from Russian air defenses and electronic warfare systems.
Details are still being clarified. There was no official confirmation regarding strikes on the Empils plant’s facilities at the time of publication.
A day earlier, on the night of January 13, drones attacked Taganrog, Russia, igniting a fire at a plant that supplies drones to the Russian military.
On January 12, drones also struck Russia’s Oryol, where a series of explosions was followed by a fire at the local thermal power plant.
