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Russian Air Defenses Strike Apartment Buildings as Overnight Attack Sparks Factory Fire in Rostov
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
An overnight air attack triggered a fire at an industrial site in Russia’s southern city of Rostov-on-Don, while Russian air defense systems reportedly struck residential buildings, according to footage and open-source reporting shared by the OSINT community Exilenova+ on January 14.
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Social media reports indicate that the attack began shortly after midnight. By around 1:40 a.m., videos circulating online showed a large fire burning at an industrial facility alongside active Russian air defense launches over the city.
Rostov Mayor Alexander Skryabin later confirmed that an industrial enterprise had caught fire as a result of the overnight strike.
S-300/400 systems are currently trying to shoot down missiles over Rostov https://t.co/737mripe4E pic.twitter.com/oCboKJjlx8
— Exilenova+ (@Exilenova_plus) January 14, 2026
Preliminary reports suggest the damaged site includes fuel or storage tanks at the Empils plant, a major Russian manufacturer of paints, coatings, and zinc oxide products. Empils is considered one of the country’s leading producers in its sector.
Local authorities also claimed that several residential buildings were damaged by falling debris during the incident. However, videos posted online appear to show Russian air defense missiles directly striking high-rise apartment buildings.
Skryabin said a temporary accommodation center had been set up for residents displaced by the damage, adding that information on possible casualties was still being clarified.
Russian media report drones hit the Empils plant in Rostov-on-Don.
— Shaun Pinner (@olddog100ua) January 14, 2026
Preliminary info says oil product storage tanks are on fire, with air defences sort of active over the city.
Another night where Russia’s rear-area energy infrastructure isn’t as safe as the Kremlin claims. https://t.co/k2JCT280a2 pic.twitter.com/nwOmtJjgkM
Later in the morning, Rostov region governor Yury Slyusar clarified that drone attacks overnight caused fires at both industrial and warehouse facilities located in the city’s western industrial zone.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that its air defense systems intercepted 48 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 25 over the Rostov region.
Earlier, Ukrainian drone units struck multiple targets in the temporarily Russian-occupied Donetsk region, including an ammunition depot and two key electrical substations.
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-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
