A drone attack apparently started a fire at an industrial facility in Russia’s Tambov region in the early morning on Tuesday.
The attack came a day after Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov announced that gasoline supplies had stabilized and asked officials to consider ending fuel rationing.
ATACMS Like Used in Ukraine Creative Commons
HIMARS Like Used in Ukraine Image Credit Creative Commons
Russia reported downing 136 Ukrainian drones overnight. There was no immediate sign that the October 20 fire affected Druzhba oil flow.
Alleged Fire at Nikolskoye
Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov confirmed a fire broke out at an unidentified enterprise within the Michurinsky district. “There were no injuries,” he wrote on Telegram in Russian.
“All necessary resources have been deployed to eliminate the fire,” the governor wrote.
Astra, an independent Russian news source, cautiously identified a linear production and dispatch station: “The Nikolskoye LPDS is presumably burning in the Tambov region after a Ukrainian overnight attack.” Astra’s analyst watched the video and spotted what appeared to be a fire at Nikolskoye-1, a pumping station located near Novonikolskoye.
This facility is used “for storing, pumping and transporting oil products,” Astra reported. Early reports did not indicate whether the fire affected pumping equipment, power lines or the main oil pipeline.
“Locals say there’s a burning diesel tank here,” monitoring outlet Exilenova+ wrote.
Early that morning, the channel added, the fire appeared largely extinguished, but a single storage tank continued to burn.
Authorities reported that the fire was out by 11:15 a.m. Moscow time on October 20.
Local media said emergency services brought the fire under control that afternoon. It took 110 people and 40 units of rescue equipment to do so.
Neither the enterprise’s name nor the scale of the damage has been reported.
It is not yet clear whether the attack targeted the Nikolskoye station, and the National Security Journal cannot independently verify what was hit.
Russia Claims 136 Drones Shot Down
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed in an October 20 press release, 136 Ukrainian fixed-wing aircraft drones were intercepted and eliminated between 8 p.m. on October 19 and 8 a.m. on October 20, Moscow time.
The Russian map of attacks shows the drones targeted 14 regions, including Tambov, Bryansk, Kursk, Pskov and Moscow.
These numbers cannot be independently confirmed.
The Russian defense ministry report gives numbers for drones shot down, but it does not say how many drones were launched or how many reached their destination.
Kyiv Post reported that Ukraine has not commented on its potential role in the attack.
In addition to the fire in Tambov, Astra reported damage to a building at 60 Postysheva Street in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk.
Astra analysts determined that the building was damaged on the third, fifth, sixth,h and seventh floors.
According to Kyiv Post, “about 27 companies are registered” at this address, including telecommunications, banking, and construction enterprises.
The report did not say which organization was affected, who was inside the building, or how the attack occurred. Moreover, the damage has not been independently verified.
Previous Attack Stopped Druzhba Flow
On August 18, 2025, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed a strike: “Oil pumping through the Druzhba main pipeline has been completely stopped,” the military reported.
The General Staff added that the station supplied fuel to Russian occupation forces.
“The Ukrainian Defense Forces are consistently working to reduce Russia’s military-economic potential to stop armed aggression completely,” they previously noted in August. Thus, Russian forces will receive fewer resources to support their offensive activities,” it said.
Hungary and Slovakia confirmed disrupted deliveries, and the Foreign Minister of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, called the attack “outrageous and unacceptable,” Reuters quoted him as saying. The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, hit back and blamed Russia’s invasion for the issues.
Fuel Rationing to be Considered
On October 19, Governor Pervyshov reported: “The situation has stabilized.” He noted that gasoline supplies had increased and queues had decreased.
He also asked officials to consider ending the even-odd rationing system in force at Rosneft and Lukoil gas stations.
The even-odd system began on July 20, amid hits to Russia’s energy infrastructure. On even days, only even-numbered vehicles can refuel; on odd days, only odd-numbered vehicles can refuel.
By August, restrictions on private filling stations were lifted; however, the limitation remained in force for Rosneft and Lukoil.
“In light of the stabilization of the regional fuel market, I propose eliminating the odd-even system so that everyone can fill up, regardless of their license plate number or date,” Deputy Head of the Region Natalia Makarevich noted at the meeting.
Governor Pervyshov’s remarks don’t make it clear whether they will implement it, especially given likely future fuel disruptions.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
