Drones launched a nighttime attack on the Astrakhan gas processing plant.

In the night leading up to Monday, February 3, drones targeted critical infrastructure facilities within Russia. This night, drone strikes hit an oil refinery in Volgograd and a gas processing plant in the Astrakhan region, as reported by propaganda Telegram channels.

According to Russian sources, Ukrainian strike drones PD-2 and "Luty" attacked Volgograd around 1 AM local time. Residents reported hearing around 50 explosions over the city.

"As a result of debris from the UAVs, local fires broke out at the oil refinery in the Volgograd region. The fires were quickly contained. There were also brief power fluctuations in the electrical grid. No casualties have been reported," the statement said.

It is worth noting that the oil refinery in Volgograd, owned by the Russian company "Lukoil," has been targeted by drones before. The last fire at one of Russia's largest oil refineries was recorded on January 31.

Additionally, during the night, kamikaze drones attacked a gas processing plant in Akhtubinsk, Astrakhan region, resulting in a fire.

Local residents reported hearing at least two explosions and noticed a bright flash over the city. One eyewitness stated that the entire plant was evacuated due to the drone attack.

Another eyewitness clarified that the drones struck the Astrakhan gas processing plant, which is under the jurisdiction of the Russian company "Gazprom."

"Today, it’s unlikely anyone will go to work," remarked the video author.

Warning: the video contains strong language!

The head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Andriy Kovalенко, confirmed the drone attack on the Astrakhan gas processing plant.

According to the official, this is one of Russia's key energy facilities that processes gas condensate and produces gasoline, diesel fuel, and more.

"The plant impacts the military-industrial complex of Russia, as the fuel and energy sector is a primary source of financing for the defense sector," Kovalенко wrote.

Andriy Yermak, the head of the President's Office, reacted to the news of the attack on Russian plants in his Telegram channel.

The Russian Ministry of Defense traditionally reported the alleged downing of Ukrainian UAVs over the territory of the federation. That night, Russian air defense intercepted 70 drones, specifically:

• 27 UAVs – over the Rostov region,
• 25 UAVs – over Volgograd,
• seven UAVs – over Astrakhan,
• five UAVs – over Voronezh,
• four UAVs – over Belgorod,
• two UAVs – over Kursk region.

At the time of publication, the Ukrainian General Staff had not officially commented on the damage to facilities within Russia.