Ukraine has launched a massive attack with drones and missiles against Russia overnight, damaging energy infrastructure and factories and forcing schools to close in two major cities in the south of the country, Russian officials and media outlets said.

In Kazan, “a gas tank caught fire (…) after a drone attack,” the local governor pointed out on Telegram, assuring that “no one was injured” and clarifying that Tatarstan’s Democracy chief Rustam Minikhanov went to the scene of the fire.

According to local media, which reported images of a large fire and black smoke rising into the sky, the target of the attack was a liquefied gas tank near a chemical plant.

In addition “an industrial enterprise was damaged” by a drone attack in Engels, in Saratov Region, located about 700 kilometers southeast of Moscow and about 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, regional governor Roman Busargin told Telegram.

He added that classes at schools in the towns of Saratov and Engels will be held remotely today due to the drone attacks.

Engels – home to an air base where bombers capable of carrying nuclear warheads are stationed – was the target of a major drone attack on January 8 that caused a fire at an oil facility.

Authorities say two firefighters died in this fire which was brought under control five days after it broke out.

For his part, Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Briansk region in western Russia, said Ukraine had launched a major missile attack, without further elaboration.

Meanwhile, The Shot channel on Telegram reported that Russia shot down more than 200 Ukrainian drones and five US-made ATACMS ballistic missiles.

“The enemy has staged a massive, coordinated attack against Russian regions,” blogger Two Majors
wrote.

Kiev and Moscow have stepped up their strikes in recent months seeking to strengthen their positions ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20, as he has said he will end the war very quickly after his inauguration.