Russia's Penza Is Engulfed In A Massive Fire After A Drone Attack

• 23.01.2026, 8:36

An oil depot, a factory and a thermal power plant are on fire.

On the night of January 23, a series of explosions and a massive fire went up in the Russian city of Penza during an air alert and drone attack, "Focus" reports.

Subsequently, information began to emerge about a fire at a local oil depot.

The governor of the region Oleg Melnichenko wrote in social networks that at around 4 a.m. a drone attack "caused a fire" at an oil depot in Penza.

The shelling in Penza also caused a local factory to catch fire, and a CHPP (thermal power plant) was also hit. This was reported by monitoring channels.

Air alert due to the threat of UAVs throughout the Penza region of the Russian Federation was announced as early as about 01:00 hours, informed in local publics. Russians were also warned to limit mobile internet for "security purposes".

Russian Telegram channel SHOT reported, citing eyewitnesses, that the first explosions in the regional center occurred around 04:00 hours. Locals told media that the explosions, which took place in the north of Penza, "made the walls shake."

"Immediately afterwards, residents saw black smoke and fire in one of the neighborhoods," the channel noted.

The Russians claim the explosions were caused by air defense forces working on targets in the sky.

"Now there is no official information about casualties and destruction," the Telegram channel noted.

In the meantime, the network showed footage from the scene. The videos show the scale of the fire, which engulfed an unknown object in the city, and a column of smoke that rose above Penza.

Monitoring channels write that the impact hit either the Biosintez plant or one of the facilities of the oil company Rosneft.