A Ukrainian drone strike ignited a fire at the Zhutovskaya oil depot in Volgograd after Russia launched a hypersonic missile and large waves of drones and missiles that disrupted power and heating in Kyiv. Volgograd authorities reported no immediate casualties but warned of possible evacuations near the depot. Kyiv’s General Staff said the depot supplies fuel to Russian forces and that damage is being assessed. The strikes followed a heavy Russian barrage that killed at least four people in Kyiv and prompted international concern.
Ukrainian Drone Strike Sets Volgograd Oil Depot Ablaze After Russian Hypersonic Missile Attack
A residential building is damaged after a Russian air strike during a heavy snow storm in Kyiv, Ukraine, early Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at the Zhutovskaya oil depot in Russia’s southern Volgograd region on Saturday, officials said, after Moscow launched a powerful hypersonic missile and waves of drones and other weapons that disrupted power and heating in Kyiv.
Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said in a Telegram post published on the local administration’s channel that there were no immediate reports of casualties. The post did not give full details of the damage but warned residents living near the depot that evacuations might be necessary.
In Kyiv, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the strike, saying the Zhutovskaya facility supplies fuel to Russian forces and that damage assessments were under way. Ukrainian authorities have increasingly used long-range drone strikes against Russian energy infrastructure to reduce Moscow’s fuel revenue and logistics supporting its war effort.
Escalation and Context
The strike followed an intense Russian overnight assault that Kyiv said involved hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, and — for only the second time in the nearly four-year war — the use of a new hypersonic weapon reportedly identified as the Oreshnik. Ukrainian officials said the barrage killed at least four people in the capital and caused widespread disruption to power and heating.
This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"These attacks have resulted in significant civilian casualties and deprived millions of Ukrainians of essential services, including electricity, heating and water at a time of acute humanitarian need," said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the U.N. secretary-general.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said heat supply in Kyiv was expected to be fully restored by the end of Saturday. She noted that while right-bank neighborhoods would gradually see emergency blackouts lifted, restoring power on the left bank — where much of the damage was concentrated — would take longer due to serious harm to the grid.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces used aviation, missiles, drones and artillery to strike Ukrainian energy facilities and fuel depots. The Ukrainian air force said Russia launched 121 drones and one Iskander-M ballistic missile during the barrage and that 94 drones were shot down. Separately, Russia reported neutralizing 59 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia and occupied Crimea.
Ukraine’s military also reported strikes on a drone storage facility used by a unit of Russia’s 19th Motor Rifle Division in Zaporizhzhia and a drone command-and-control point near Pokrovsk in the east.
Assessments of the damage at the Volgograd depot and the wider operational impact on Russian fuel supplies are ongoing. The exchanges come amid diplomatic activity and reports of discussions between Ukraine and its allies on strengthening defenses and contingency planning should a negotiated settlement be pursued.
Help us improve.
