On the night of January 21 in Russia, explosions were reported in several regions - Tula, Smolensk, Oryol and Leningrad regions. The most devastating were the explosions at the port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region, from where natural gas is transported.
The Russian authorities claim that in some cases the cause was attacks by Ukrainian drones , in others, as in the case of Ust-Lug, explosions were reported without specifying the reason.
Each time, the Russian authorities assured that the attacks did not achieve their goals or were not too destructive. Although photos and videos of fire and large flare-ups in all three regions are published on social networks.
The Ukrainian authorities have not yet taken responsibility for the explosions.
Terminal "Novatek"
The terminal of the large gas production company Novatek, located in the port of Ust-Luga, Leningrad region, was the most affected.
The governor of the region Oleksandr Drozdenko confirmed around 3:00 a.m. that there was a big fire there, although he assured that the evacuation was carried out and the personnel were not injured. And in six hours he wrote that the fire was "localized".
He did not name the cause of the fire. Instead, the head of the Kingisepp district, Yurii Zapalatskyi, said that the cause was "two explosions".
Earlier in the night, local residents reported on social networks that they heard the sounds of drones flying over. The St. Petersburg publication "Fontanka" with reference to its sources wrote that the two drones were headed for St. Petersburg, but then changed course and went to the port.
But neither the Ministry of Defense of Russia nor the Ukrainian authorities commented on this information.
The port is located almost a thousand kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Only a few days before, on January 18, there were already explosions at an oil depot . And then Ukraine admitted that it was an attack on its drones.
In particular, the Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshin stated at a panel at the Ukrainian House in Davos that St. Petersburg hit a Ukrainian-made drone that traveled a distance of 1,250 km.
"Manufacture of "Armors"?
In other Russian regions, less distant from Ukraine, explosions were also heard at night.
In most cases, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that it was about Ukrainian drones, but assured that they were shot down and apparently did not cause any damage.
Explosions were reported, in particular, in the Tula, Smolensk and Oryol regions. These reports were confirmed by videos of explosions and flashes on social networks.
At the same time, the network reported that the target of the drones in Tula was the Shcheglovskyi Val defense enterprise, where the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile systems are manufactured.
The Russian authorities deny that any infrastructure was damaged in the region, but Suspilne, citing sources in the Ukrainian special services, claims that the Shcheglovsky Val was the target.
Sources of the publication also confirm night attacks in Smolensk and Oryol regions.
