The Russian Ministry of Defense has disclosed the outcomes of its air defense forces' operations on the night of May 10 to repel drone attacks in three regions. Kaluga, where an oil refinery was hit by a drone strike, is not among them, according to the Russian Ministry.
The defense department of the aggressor country traditionally declares the cessation of attempts to carry out low terrorist attacks using UAVs of aircraft type on objects within the territory of the Russian Federation. In this attack, the Russian side accuses Ukraine.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense systems "destroyed five Ukrainian aircraft-type UAVs" specifically:
- 3 drones - in the Bryansk region,
- 1 - in the Moscow region,
- 1 - in the Belgorod region.
Drone attacks in Russia on May 10 and the strike on the refinery near Kaluga
The report of the Russian ministry does not mention the Kaluga region. However, on that night, messages appeared on Telegram channels and public pages about a drone attack on an oil refinery, where an explosion occurred, causing a severe fire.
It was also clarified that it concerned the LLC First Plant, which is the largest oil refinery in the region. Additionally, relevant footage of the fire at the facility was published online.
Early in the morning, Kaluga region governor Vladislav Shapsha confirmed in his Telegram channel the information about the drone attack on the enterprise in the Dzerzhinsky district and that a fire broke out there as a result of the UAV crash. The official added that the fire at the plant has been contained, and there were no casualties.
The First Plant refinery in the Kaluga region had already been targeted by drones earlier this spring, on March 15. According to an RBC-Ukraine source in the Defense Forces, it was an operation of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense.
Furthermore, earlier that night, the mayor of the aggressor country's capital, Sergei Sobyanin, reported the downing of a UAV flying towards Moscow. According to him, the UAV was shot down using air defense systems in Podolsk, Moscow region.
