Missiles and drones target multiple Russian regions overnight
Russian Emergency Situations Ministry personnel at the scene (photo: Russian media)
Russia came under a combined missile and drone attack overnight into Tuesday, July 21. Lipetsk, Belgorod, Anapa, Volgograd, and several other cities were targeted, with fires breaking out, according to OSINT channels.
Lipetsk comes under missile attack
A fire broke out near a thermal power plant in Lipetsk overnight after a missile alert was declared, according to a local public channel. The blaze occurred in the area between Thermal Power Plant Number Two and the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant.
It remains unclear whether the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant or Thermal Power Plant Number Two was hit in the attack.
Fire breaks out near power plant in Russia's Lipetsk after overnight attack pic.twitter.com/KPttFmVIEu
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) July 21, 2026
Photo: Aftermath of the overnight attack in Lipetsk
Photo: Aftermath of the overnight attack in Lipetsk
Photo: Aftermath of the overnight attack in Lipetsk
Photo: Aftermath of the overnight attack in Lipetsk
The Novolipetsk Metallurgical Plant is the largest steelworks in Russia and produces about twenty percent of all Russian steel.
According to Russian propaganda media, the plant manufactures civilian products. However, companies specializing in missile production are among those that purchase steel from the facility.
The company claims that it has "never supplied military products to Russia's military-industrial complex," which contradicts information from Ukrainian intelligence services.
Lipetsk Thermal Power Plant Number Two is one of the largest combined heat and power plants in Russia's Central Black Earth region. It supplies heat to the city of Lipetsk and several industrial enterprises in the area.
Lipetsk regional governor Igor Artamonov confirmed the attack on the region and its facilities.
Missiles hit Belgorod region and Volgograd
Belgorod and other towns and cities in the region also came under attack overnight on July 21. Public channels reported that "debris from intercepted missiles rained down" over the regional capital and the wider Belgorod urban area.
Water supplies were disrupted in some parts of the city following the attack, with possible strikes on energy infrastructure.
According to the Belgorod regional emergency response center, no one was injured during the missile attack on Belgorod and the surrounding district. The center provided no further details about the consequences of the attack.
Missile alert in Volgograd
Residents of Volgograd reported explosions and air raid sirens overnight into Tuesday, and a missile alert was declared in the region. It remains unclear whether a strike occurred, as no information about any consequences has been reported.
Missile alert declared in Russia's Volgograd as explosions reported pic.twitter.com/uPxFqVBxDw
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) July 21, 2026
Drones over Anapa, Crimea, and Mariupol
Drones were also reported over Anapa, Mariupol, and Crimea. Explosions were heard on the peninsula overnight. The consequences of the drone attack can be seen in the video.
Drones reported over Anapa, Crimea, and Mariupol pic.twitter.com/VWV64STL5H
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) July 21, 2026
The previous day, operators of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces destroyed eight important elements of Russia's air defense system.
Special forces from the Alpha Special Operations Center of the Security Service of Ukraine also struck a coordination center of Russia's Federal Security Service in the temporarily occupied part of the Kherson region.
