Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) conducted a strike on a concealed drone production facility in Russia’s Kaluga Oblast during the early hours of March 13, sources in the intelligence service told Suspilne. Russian drones also reportedly struck industrial facilities – including gas infrastructure – in several other Russian regions overnight on 12-13 March, according to local authorities and Telegram channels.
According to Suspilne’s source, HUR targeted the Kaluga Gas Concrete plant where Russians had reportedly placed drone production lines.
Kaluga Oblast Governor Vladislav Shapsha confirmed a drone attack hit an industrial enterprise in Dzerzhinsky district, causing a fire. One night shift employee suffered minor injuries, Shapsha claimed. He added that a communication tower and power line were damaged in Khvastovichsky district where a drone fell. The attack led to flight cancellations at Kaluga airport, according to the governor.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that over Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning, their air defense intercepted 77 Ukrainian drones: 30 over Bryansk Oblast, 25 over Kaluga Oblast, six each over Kursk and Voronezh oblasts, and five each over Rostov and Belgorod oblasts.
In Rostov Oblast, acting Governor Yuri Slyusar claimed that a drone fell in Kalininsky village in Sholokhovsky district, causing a fire at an industrial facility. Slyusar claimed it was a “landscape fire” and said there were no casualties at the site.
Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusev also reported a drone attack on his region. Two infrastructure facilities were targeted, with a fire breaking out at one of them. According to Gusev, there were no casualties. Local residents said drones attacked the region’s gas infrastructure, according to Russian Telegram channel BAZA. Gusev later added that damage to the second facility was not confirmed, and the fire at the first facility had been extinguished.
In Saratov Oblast, “non-residential facilities” in Petrovsky district were damaged, according to Russian Telegram channels. Russian news Telegram channel Astra reported that a drone attacked a gas substation in Saratov Oblast. Based on video footage, the attack likely targeted the Gazovaya electrical substation in Prigorodny settlement near Petrovsk, Astra said. Some media outlets reported that the Petrovsky linear production department of main gas pipelines was attacked. Footage shared by Astra shows the Ukrainian long-range explosive drone Lyutyi.
Tambov Oblast‘s acting head Evgeny Pervyshov stated that three Ukrainian drones fell in the territory of Morshansky municipal district, damaging the infrastructure of one enterprise. He claimed no deaths or injuries were reported.
Additionally, the press service of Rosaviatsiya (Russian Federal Air Transport Agency) announced temporary restrictions on the operation of airports in Kaluga, Saratov, and Volgograd on the evening of March 12.
Separately, Russian Telegram channels Astra reported a fire at TPP-16 (thermal power plant) in Moscow, with flames spreading over 300 square meters. The cause of the fire remained unknown. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the fire occurred on the roof of a building that was taken out of service for repairs, which did not affect the operation of the station.
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