Missiles and Drones Hit Energy Facilities in Russia’s Oryol and Rostov

On the night of December 19, missiles and drones struck energy facilities in the Russian cities of Oryol and Rostov-on-Don, causing power outages.

Footage of the attacks was shared on the Exilenova+ Telegram channel and across social media.

In Oryol, in Russia’s Oryol region, a series of explosions was reported. The Oryol thermal power plant was hit.

Prior to this, a missile alert was declared in the region. In videos recorded by local residents, the distinctive sound of several missiles or jet-powered drones in flight can be heard.

Following the strike, disruptions to electricity, water, and heating supplies were reported in the Russian city.

The regional governor also confirmed a nighttime strike on one of the facilities in Oryol, without specifying what exactly was targeted.

“As a result of a hostile attack, a municipal infrastructure facility in the city of Oryol was damaged… Emergency crews are carrying out repair work, which may lead to short-term restrictions on heat and power supply as well as hot water,” Andrey Klychkov wrote.

The Oryol thermal power plant is the largest source of electricity and heat in the region, supplying the city’s energy system and district heating. The plant has an installed electrical capacity of 330 megawatts. It has been attacked before.

In addition, explosions were reported overnight in Rostov-on-Don, after which power supply problems were also recorded in parts of the city and in nearby settlements.

Previously, during a large-scale drone attack overnight, the Russian tanker Valery Gorchakov caught fire in the city.

Later, it began to sink near the sea terminal of the Novoshakhtinsk oil products plant. The area of the strike was quickly cordoned off, and the tanker was surrounded with boom barriers.

As a result of the attack, the ship’s wheelhouse and hull were damaged, holes appeared in the engine and rudder compartments, and a fire broke out.