A “massive” Ukrainian drone strike was launched against the Archeda railway station in the town of Frolovo in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast overnight on the 4th of August.
It completely disrupted rail travel and shut down a regional airport temporarily.
Volgograd Oblast is about 900 kilometres (560 miles) southeast of Moscow and almost 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of the border with Ukraine, close to the almost completely occupied Luhansk Oblast.
Popular independent media outlet in Ukraine, Astra, reported that a fire broke out at the Archeda railway station.
According to Volgograd Oblast Governor Andrei Bocharov, it was a massive strike that involved drones attacking transport and energy facilities in the oblast, which triggered intense rail traffic in the Frolovo district.
The state-owned railway operator, Russian Railways, also reported a suspension of train services in Frolovo.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that a total of 61 Ukrainian drones were shot down over several regions in the country overnight.
Ukraine’s military is not known to speak about drone strikes on Russian territory, even though it has consistently targeted the region with drones.
The claims made by Russian officials could not be verified by the Kyiv Independent.
Rail infrastructure, petrol depots, and ammunition stockpiles within Russia and occupied regions have increasingly become targets for long-range drone and missile strikes.
Ukraine has attacked other Russian railway stations in the region in recent weeks. On the 29th of July, Ukrainian drones struck a railway station in the town of Salsk in Rostov Oblast, which caused a fire.
Several attacks were launched at industrial facilities in Russia’s Ryazan, Penza, Samara and Voronezh oblasts overnight on Aug. 2, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
In Ryazan, an oil refinery was reportedly hit, with online clips revealing a massive fire close to the site.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Malkov stated that debris from a drone descended on the territory of an undisclosed enterprise, and emergency crews were attending to the damage.
In Penza, the Elektropribor plant was also a target. According to Russian Telegram channels, the city was rocked by 5 different explosions. Regional officials are yet to react to the incident in public.
The Novokuibyshevsky oil refinery, in Samara Oblast, located about twenty kilometres (12 miles) from the city of Samara, was on fire after a drone strike. Clips shared on local telegram channels showed flames engulfing the refinery.
