Drones strike Russia's Oryol: air raid sirens sound, air defenses activated, power plant damaged
Illustrative photo: Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (Getty Images)
The Russian city of Oryol came under attack by unidentified drones overnight on October 31, with explosions reported across the city. Local media said the strike caused damage to a thermal power plant, according to Russian media sources.
Air raid sirens sounded in Oryol around 12:50 AM local time on the night of October 31.
Shortly afterward, local channels issued warnings of a missile threat across the Oryol region, urging residents to take shelter in windowless rooms with solid walls.
Residents reported loud explosions in several parts of the city, with local media suggesting air defense systems were active.
Eyewitnesses said they heard between three and seven blasts in northern Oryol. Bright flashes were visible in the sky, and the shockwaves triggered car alarms across the area.
Later, locals reported strikes on energy infrastructure, which was later confirmed by regional governor Andrey Klychkov, who said a thermal power plant had been hit.
He said that debris from an unidentified drone fell onto the territory of the thermal power plant, damaging electrical equipment, though no fire was reported. There were no casualties, according to preliminary information.
Previous drone attacks on Oryol
This was not the first such incident. Unidentified drones also attacked Oryol in late August, when explosions were heard and air defense systems were activated.
Debris from one of the drones damaged a residential building, shattering several windows and prompting partial evacuations of residents. A fire also broke out in one of the city’s districts.
Oryol hosts a Russian military base used for launching Iranian-made Shahed drones against Ukraine. The facility reportedly has eight ground-based launch sites and a 2.8-kilometer stretch of road adapted for launching drones directly from vehicles.
