Ukraine’s military said its drones struck a Russian oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region as part of a massive attack targeting energy infrastructure, including a nuclear power site.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on January 29 that the refinery was “involved in providing support to the Russian occupation army.”
“Combat work on strategic facilities involved in providing support for the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine will continue,” it added.
Geolocation data from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty confirmed social media posts showing a major fire at the Sibur-Kstovo oil refinery near Nizhny Novgorod.
Russian government officials in Russia’s Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Tver, Kursk, Leningrad, and Bryansk regions said their areas had been hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, though they did not comment on the refinery strike.
Officials in Kazan and St. Petersburg temporarily suspended traffic, citing safety concerns.
“In various areas of the Smolensk region, civilian objects are being subjected to a massive attack” by drones, Governor Vasily Anokhin wrote on Telegram.
No additional information was provided, but the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is a major power-generating facility some 100 kilometers from Smolensk city.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its defenses shot down 104 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions overnight, but it was not possible to independently confirm the claims.
Both sides in the war have stepped up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in recent months, often targeting the enemy’s energy infrastructure.
Russia has also caused widespread destruction of Ukrainian civilian sites with drones, rockets, artillery, and various types of bombs. The Kremlin has denied it targets civilian areas despite evidence of such attacks.
Inside Ukraine, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim said two women were killed due to a Russian missile attack on the city of Mykolayiv.
Off the battlefield, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “afraid” to enter into negotiations on ending the war after the Kremlin leader ruled out direct talks with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Today, Putin once again confirmed that he is afraid of negotiations, afraid of strong leaders, and does everything possible to prolong the war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“Every move he makes and all his cynical tricks are aimed at making the war endless,” he added.
Earlier, Putin told Russian state TV thattalks with Ukraine were possible but not with Zelenskyy, whom he deemed as “illegitimate” because his presidential term expired while the country was under martial law.
“But essentially, if they want to proceed, there is a legal way to do it. Let the chairman of the [Ukrainian parliament] handle it in accordance with the constitution,” Putin said.
“However, so far, we simply do not see such a desire,” he added.
Meanwhile, Axios reported the U.S. military transferred some 90 Patriot air-defense missiles from storage in Israel to Poland this week with an aim to deliver them to Ukraine.
The report, citing three people with knowledge of the operation, said the Israeli Air Force decommissioned the Patriot air-defense system more than 30 years after it was given to Israel during the first Gulf War.
After the Israelis announced the decommissioning, Kyiv suggested to U.S. and Israeli officials that Israel return the missiles to the U.S. military to be refurbished and then sent to Ukraine.
By RFE/RL