Explosions in Oryol: Witnesses report flashes and loud explosions in city
Residents of Oryol report explosions (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Residents of the Russian city of Oryol are reporting explosions and flashes in the sky, according to Russian media.
Around midnight, locals wrote about a loud rumble in the city and bright flashes in the sky. Witnesses also reported two loud explosions in different parts of the city that caused walls in houses to shake.
Videos of the explosions began appearing online.
At the same time, no missile or drone alert had been issued in the city.
Later, regional governor Andriy Klychkov reported that air defense forces over Oryol had destroyed a UAV. Falling debris from the drones damaged several private homes and an outbuilding.
Attacks on Oryol
As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, unknown drones attacked Oryol on the night of October 31. Explosions were heard in the city, and local social media noted air defense activity.
Residents later reported strikes on energy infrastructure. The governor, Andrey Klychkov, confirmed that debris from an unknown drone had hit the local thermal power plant (CHPP), damaging electrical equipment, though no fire occurred.
On the same day, the Ukrainian Naval Forces confirmed that they had carried out missile strikes on the Oryol CHPP using Neptune missiles. According to the Navy, this facility supplied electricity to regional military enterprises, making its neutralization a significant blow to the Russian logistics.
The Oryol CHPP, located in the city of Oryol, is one of the key sources of electricity and heat for the region. The plant provides around 40% of the Oryol region’s electricity needs and 65% of the city’s heating requirements.
Oryol also hosts a military base from which Russian forces launch Iranian-made Shahed drones at Ukraine. The base has eight ground launch pads and a 2.8-kilometer stretch of road where drones can be launched from vehicles.
