Drone Strike in Volgograd Kills One, Sparks Industrial Fire

A large-scale drone attack in Russia’s southern Volgograd region killed one person and triggered a fire in an industrial zone, the regional governor reported on Thursday.

The strikes struck a 24-storey residential building, Governor Andrey Bocharov said on Telegram, noting that “balconies were damaged and windows of nearby houses were shattered.”

“A 48-year-old civilian man was killed by shrapnel from the attack,” he added.

Bocharov also reported that “falling debris caused a fire in an industrial area in the Krasnoarmeysky district,” and confirmed that fire services had managed to extinguish the blaze.

Volgograd, situated around 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Russian-Ukrainian border, is an industrial centre that hosts gas and petroleum refining facilities.

In recent months, Ukraine has intensified drone and missile strikes on Russian territory, focusing on industrial zones in a campaign that has contributed to rising fuel prices in Russia.

Early last month, Ukraine targeted a refinery in the southern Krasnodar region, as well as an oil terminal and an ammunition depot in the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, according to Russian authorities.

Moscow, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has likewise escalated aerial attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and rail networks.