Explosions occurred in the city of Lipetsk, west of Russia, about 400 kilometers from the capital Moscow on Friday evening, causing a large fire at a steel plant.

The regional governor Igor Artamonov said on the Telegram app that the fire broke out at the "Novolipetsk" metals plant and has already been extinguished. He added that there is no threat from the emission of hazardous materials.

The governor explained that security forces are investigating unconfirmed information that the fire started due to a plane crash.

The newspaper "Ukrainska Pravda" reported, quoting eyewitnesses, that several explosions were heard over Lipetsk before the fire broke out.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow stated that Ukrainian drones launched new attacks in Russia in the Tula region, 150 kilometers south of Moscow, and in Kursk near the border with Ukraine. Many drones were intercepted and destroyed by air defenses.