Drones strike distilleries in multiple Russian regions

Ukrainian drones reportedly struck several distilleries and other alcohol-producing facilities across Russia overnight on 22 October, according to regional Russian officials and media reports.

Since January, Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russia, particularly targeting airfields, ammunition depots, fuel depots, and oil refineries in western Russia. These strikes are aimed at disrupting Russian military supply lines and operations, damaging infrastructure, and raising the cost of war for Russia domestically. Alcohol production facilities are usually not among the targets of such strikes.

In Tula Oblast, two distilleries were damaged in the attacks. According to regional governor Dmitry Milyaev, the strikes affected the Efremov distillery and another facility in Luzhkovsky settlement. No casualties were reported in either incident.

Russian news Telegram channel Astra says residents of Efremov reported two explosions and a fire near the thermal power plant and synthetic rubber plant arounf 3:30 a.m., though local authorities did not comment on these reports.

In Tambov Oblast, governor Maxim Yegorov reported an explosion at the Biohim enterprise in Rasskazovo city. According to Yegorov, the blast was likely caused by a drone attack and resulted in a fire that was extinguished within an hour. No casualties were reported.

Ukraine attacks refineries in Russia

Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked several Russian distilleries and alcohol-producing facilities overnight on 22 October, damaging facilities across three regions of Russia, as per Russian officials and media reports.

RFE/RL reports that… pic.twitter.com/GMJgX3miyl

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 22, 2024

RFE/RL notes that the Biohim facility’s website states that “the enterprise currently produces products of strategic importance for the state, carrying out complex processing of sugar-containing raw materials (sugar beet molasses) into various types of alcohols.“

Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusev reported a fire at an unnamed industrial facility following a drone attack.

“Air defense and electronic warfare forces detected and suppressed an unmanned aerial vehicle in one of the region’s districts. It fell on an industrial enterprise’s workshop building,” Gusev claimed.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed destroying 18 drones overnight over Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Tula, and Orel oblasts. However, RFE/RL notes that while Tula’s governor reported attacks on two distilleries located 150 kilometers apart, the ministry’s summary mentioned only one drone shot down in Tula Oblast.

Tambov and Voronezh oblasts, whose governors also reported drone attacks, were not mentioned in the ministry’s report.

Previously, an attack on distilleries in Russia occurred on 5 October. It is unclear why exactly alcohol production facilities have been targeted.

Ukrainian officials had not commented on the attacks at the time this article was published.

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