Ukrainian UAVs Attack Oil Depot, 5 Drones Shot Down Over Russia’s Kursk Region, Moscow Says

Ukraine launched an overnight drone attack on a Russian oil depot as well as other targets just over Ukraine’s northern border, according to Russian media reports.

Authorities in Russia’s Kursk Oblast reported that they had successfully shot down airborne targets over the region. On the morning of Tuesday, July 30, the acting governor, Alexey Smirnov, announced that at least four AFU missiles had allegedly been destroyed in the sky over the Oktyabrsky and Kurchatovsky districts of the Kursk Oblast during the night.

Three minutes after the explosion at 4:03 a.m., Smirnov reported a missile threat in the Kursk Oblast.

Later, it became known that unknown UAVs had attacked an oil depot in the Kursk Oblast, resulting in a fire in three tanks. Preliminary reports indicate that no one was injured. Additionally, some witnesses on social media reported explosions near the airport.

Local residents told the Telegram channel that they had heard an explosion and saw a bright flash in the sky over Kursk. The sound caused car alarms to go off in several districts.

Air defense intercepted and destroyed five UAVs over Belgorod and two over Kursk regions overnight, Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Ukrainian side has not officially commented on the situation at the time of publication.

Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian fuel depots, refineries, and energy facilities have become frequent, particularly in the border regions. Kyiv has targeted dozens of Russian energy sites and oil depots over the past year, viewing these strikes as retribution for Moscow’s aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities and power stations.

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Kyiv launched its Kursk offensive on August 6 in a bid to pull Moscow's forces away from eastern Ukraine, where the Russian army has captured a string of villages in recent months.

On Saturday, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) confirmed to Kyiv Post that Ukrainian drones had struck three Russian air bases and damaged a supersonic bomber.

Russia has also launched massive attacks on Ukraine’s power plants, causing severe electricity shortages in recent months.