A fire broke out at industrial facilities in Russia’s western city of Lipetsk overnight on Tuesday, following reports of explosions and a possible drone attack, according to local monitoring channels.
Residents reported hearing blasts and seeing a large fire in the city, while a missile alert was active from the evening hours, independent channels Astra and Exilenova reported.
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Lipetsk Regional Governor Igor Artamonov confirmed that a fire had broken out at industrial facilities but said authorities were investigating the cause. He did not confirm reports of an attack.
Videos and photos shared online by residents showed a fire near the area of the Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK) plant and Lipetsk CHPP-2, a major thermal power facility, according to Astra.
NLMK is Russia’s largest steel producer, accounting for around 20% of the country’s steel output. The plant, located about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the Ukrainian border, supplies steel products to companies involved in Russia’s missile production, Astra reported.
Lipetsk CHPP-2 provides heat and electricity to the city and nearby industrial sites.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed that its air defenses intercepted 209 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian regions, occupied Crimea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Moscow did not specify how many drones were intercepted over Lipetsk.
No casualties or additional damage were reported by Russian authorities.
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Ukraine has not commented on the reported incident. NLMK has previously been targeted in alleged Ukrainian drone attacks.
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