01/23/2026
On the night of January 23, explosions were heard in Penza, Russia. They were followed by a massive fire at the Penzanefteproduct oil depot.
The consequences of the attacks on the oil depot were confirmed by the authorities of the Penza region, as well as by Russians who filmed what was happening on video. There was also information about damage to the local CHP.
What is known
Russian propaganda resources began writing closer to Friday morning about explosions that “thundered over Penza” and that “anti-aircraft defense is repelling an air attack by a Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV.”
“Residents report a fire and smoke in one of the city’s districts. Eyewitnesses said that about four explosions, which “shaked the walls,” occurred at 04:00 at night (local time. – Ed.). Loud sounds were heard in the north of the city. Immediately after that, residents saw black smoke and a fire in one of the districts. An unmanned danger was introduced in the Penza region at 01:40,” the propagandists complained.
Ordinary residents of the city confirm the attack and that it did not pass without consequences. As noted by the Telegram channel Exilenova+, they filmed what was happening.
A little later, confirmation came from the Governor of the Penza Region, Oleg Melnychenko: he announced a “fire at the oil depot.”
“Around 4 a.m., a fire broke out at an oil depot in Penza as a result of a UAV attack. According to preliminary data, there were no fatalities or injuries. Firefighters are working at the scene, including 46 employees and 14 pieces of equipment,” the message published on the official’s official Telegram channel said.
According to Exilenova +, this is the Penzanefteproduct oil depot , located at coordinates 53.206959, 45.076508.
Melnychenko also threatened “responsibility” to those who upload “photos and videos of the use” of UAVs to the Internet, and also called “not to become accomplices of the enemy.” To do this, according to the official, it is enough to believe not your own eyes, but “only verified information.”
However, the drone raid at night did not seem to be limited to the oil depot. According to the Telegram channel Supernova+, the effects were also recorded at an energy facility important to Penza.
“Penza… also lit up the CHP, (combined heat and power plant–OFP)” the channel’s author wrote, confirming his words with reports “from the places.”
Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that the day before, the General Staff announced the defeat of an oil terminal in Russia and a number of enemy facilities in the occupied territories.
This concerns the Tamannaftogas terminal in the Krasnodar Territory of Russia, which is involved in supplying enemy troops, as well as several radar stations in temporarily occupied Crimea, a warehouse for storing the occupiers’ drones in the Kherson region, a command and observation post, a concentration of manpower, and an ammunition depot in two cities in the occupied part of the Donetsk region.
I think this was the first strike on Penza. At least, I can’t recall having heard of this place before.
At any rate, another good night for Ukrainians and a bad one for the cockroaches.
Comment from :
David Foster Wallace
Best line. What a slapdown:
“Every ‘Viktor’ who lives off European money while trying to sell out European interests deserves a slap in the face,” he said.
JOHNATHAN Westley Stoot
He’s right about Hungary though. I am surprised the Hungarian people continue to support Orban – shame on them really. Pretty spot on with the indecisiveness of Europe too. I am not sure this was the forum for Zelensky to deliver these home truths, though? I wonder what his motivations are?
Nigel Dennison
Reply to JOHNATHAN Westley Stoot
His motivation is that he is trying to save his country from Putin and vacillating allies .
William Metis
He just kissed goodbye to Eastern Ukraine.
Hairy Plotter
Reply to William Metis
Ukraine’s 426th Air Command recently stated ,” We’ve reached russia’s best defended airbase, we’ll reach the others too”. (Dzhankoy Airbase, main controll tower AND command centre.) Basically regional brain for most all regional air traffic.
Peter Leigh
Zelensky is right – the Europeans talk a good game but until there’s a majority-to-pass rule rather and absolutely-everyone-has-to-agree rule, then nothing gets done. All this BS about Zelensky not wanting to end the war – if you were in his shoes, and actually think about that before spouting off, is absolute rubbish. The biggest roadblock to peace is Putin who still pushes maximalist his goals and hasn’t, so far, shown any desire to negotiate. It is in Europe’s interest to halt Russia, it is in Ukraine’s interest to halt Russia, the US don’t care unless the optics look good and Putin, it seems, wants it to continue. So, EU leaders, instead of continually talking about what may happen in the future, do something about the ‘now’. Stop vacillating.
Annabel Jolly
Zelensky is spot on. Europe needs an effective army. But it will never happen – just endless squabbling about which country gets to make the widgets and who will supply the fish to the canteen. As a committed remainer, I am beginning to feel that perhaps the EU is a genuinely flawed concept.
Lorna Mann
2026 is the year on the battlefield Ukraine can turn the tide, they didn’t have what you would call proper Army Corps when the war started and its taken this long for them to get organised and arrange and create proper Army Corps and Army structure.
They’ll go on the offensive this year, Russia only has one tactic and that is throw bodies at the defensive line.
If Europe supports with ammo and military gear your see the Russian lines crumble this year.
Roger Blank
Reply to Lorna Mann
Ironically as modern warfare has morphed, Europe will need the knowledge of Ukraine, especially with regards to drone warfare.
Roger Powell
One other factor is that Ukraine has skills, technology and tactics far ahead of any NATO country, as it has been at actual war for 4 years. It has defeated the Russian Navy and thwarted the Russian air force whilst halting the Russian army. We should be very keen to learn from them about drones, combined arms warfare etc etc.
Sven Daman
Orban is the irrelevant leader of an irrelevant country. He has run Hungary into the ground. In the 1990s it was the richest country in the Warsaw bloc, with a strong industrial base, an educated workforce, and well-developed infrastructure (largely thanks to the Austrians). Today, it is one of the worst-performing economies in Central Europe, miles behind the Baltics and Poland, and soon to be overtaken by Romania and Bulgaria, once the poorest EU states. An absolute disaster. And then he has the cheek to attack Zelensky. What a clown.
Cecily Sharp
Apparently the average age of Ukranian men fighting is forty five?
Europe has an ageing demographic.
Sven Daman
Reply to Cecily Sharp
This is because Ukraine does not recruit men under age of 25. This is done to protect demographics. Ukraine fights a technological defensive war which does not require thousands of 18 years old who can do 150 push ups and run around like absolute clowns. Ukraine does have special forces for special operations (equivalent to american Delta or Navy seals) but they are barely required. It is mostly about sitting in front of a monitor, wearing goggles navigating a FPV drone or loading a self propelled Bohdana howitzer.
David Pope
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, a man who was hitherto in comedy and entertainment, including starring in a popular tv series called ‘Servant of the People’ as, ironically enough, a fictional Ukrainian president, has more backbone than most of our career politician western leaders rolled together.
I swear the man has more love for his country and its people in one of his fingernails than our less-than-illustrious ‘leader’ possesses for the U.K. in his entire body. His political party is actually the same name as the fictional party he ‘led’ in his tv career ~ ‘Servant of the People’ ~ the name having been registered by members of his own tv production team.
Is Zelenskyy perfect? No, of course not, far from it ~ he’s just a human being. But he’s had approval ratings in Ukraine of the sort that Starmer would likely kill for here.
When in the fullness of time the history books about the early part of the 21st century are written, I’d lay a pound to a penny that the name Zelenskyy will feature rather more prominently and given rather more respect than any given to Starmer. Boy, we could do with someone a bit more like Zelenskyy than Two-Tier-Keir at the helm of the U.K. right about now
Some good comments again. Thanks for sharing, Scradge.
Russian propaganda resources began writing closer to Friday morning about explosions that “thundered over Penza” and that “anti-aircraft defense is repelling an air attack by a Ukrainian Armed Forces UAV.”
They didn’t repel it very well, judging the huge fires visible in the videos.
As usual, they depended on the targets to repell the Ukrainian attacks.