Dozens of Ukrainian drones launched an extensive attack across several Russian regions early morning on Friday, Nov. 1, including an oil depot in Stavropol, almost 900 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.
According to the region's governor, Vladimir Vladimirov, emergency services responded swiftly to the scene, and no injuries were reported.
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Video footage from the Baza Telegram channel appears to capture the moment of the explosion and subsequent fire at the depot.
In a separate video shared by another Telegram channel, “Caution, news,” a depot employee mentioned that a protective metal mesh above the fuel tank mitigated the impact of the falling drone.
Almost two months ago, Ukraine's almost daily and devastating drone strikes on Russia's oil industry inexplicably stopped, causing many to theorise what was the actual reason behind that.
The drone attack on the Stavropol depot was part of a broader wave of strikes that night, with dozens of Ukrainian drones reportedly targeting multiple Russian regions.
In Bryansk, local authorities reported damage to an apartment building, though no injuries occurred. Governor Alexander Bogomaz stated that air defenses intercepted 38 drones over the Bryansk area between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
Similar incidents were reported across other regions. In Orel, Governor Andrey Klychkov confirmed that two residential buildings sustained damage from drone strikes, but no injuries were recorded.
British Defence Intelligence Update Ukraine 01 November 2024
In Voronezh, Governor Alexander Gusev reported that air defense forces destroyed several drones with no known casualties or ground damage. In the Kursk region, Governor Alexei Smirnov noted that air defenses intercepted 61 drones overnight.
The Russian Defense Ministry later announced that on Nov.1, air defence systems downed a total of 83 drones across several regions, including 36 in Kursk, 20 in Bryansk, 12 in Crimea, eight in Voronezh, four in Orel, and three in Belgorod.
Since early 2024, Ukraine has focused on drone strikes targeting Russia’s fuel and energy sector. By October, nine of Russia's 32 largest oil refineries had been hit, peaking in May when 17% of refining capacity was offline, though most has since recovered.
Until May 23, Rosstat published weekly fuel production data, but Russia then classified this information due to "geopolitical reasons." In mid-May, gasoline output was 740,000 tons—20% lower than December levels, with diesel output also down 11% from late 2023.
Meanwhile, as reported by The Financial Times, Russia and Ukraine have allegedly resumed talks on halting strikes on energy facilities, paused in August. President Zelensky said such an agreement could signal a step toward ending the war, suggesting Moscow's willingness to negotiate.
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