At least one civilian was killed and energy infrastructure damaged in at least two Russian regions as Ukrainian drones struck multiple areas overnight, officials and media reported Thursday.
In southern Russia, Volgograd region Governor Andrei Bocharov said a 48-year-old man was killed by shrapnel in a 24-story apartment building during a “massive” attack on the region.
He said drone debris also sparked a fire at an “industrial site” in the Krasnoarmeiskyi district, which is home to the Volgograd oil refinery, Lukoil’s largest in southern Russia.
The Ukrainian military reported striking the Volgograd refinery, which processes roughly 15.7 million tons of crude per year. Russia’s Defense Ministry said 49 of the 75 Ukrainian drones it downed were over the Volgograd region.
Ukraine’s General Staff also said its forces hit fuel depots in annexed Crimea and a drone storage site near Donetsk airport.
Civil aviation authorities said 13 Russian airports had suspended flights during the drone attack.
In the Kostroma region northeast of Moscow, Governor Sergei Sitnikov said emergency crews were addressing the aftermath of drone strikes in the town of Volgorechensk, home to one of Russia’s largest electricity producers, the Kostroma Power Station.
Independent media outlet Astra published and analyzed images appearing to show a fire at the plant’s gas distribution site, suggesting the station was hit by at least two drones.
Sitnikov said electricity supplies were not disrupted and there were no injuries.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not report downing or intercepting any drones in the Kostroma region.
Neither Russia’s nor Ukraine’s battlefield claims could be independently verified.
Kyiv says the surge in cross-border drone attacks targeting Russia’s energy and logistics infrastructure is aimed at undermining Moscow’s war effort.
The head of Ukraine’s security service last week claimed more than 160 strikes on Russia’s oil facilities so far in 2025. Western analysts say the attacks have hit 16 major refineries, or about 38% of Russia’s capacity, causing serious but not crippling damage.
The International Energy Agency estimates that the strikes have cut Russia’s refining output by roughly 500,000 barrels per day.
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