Explosions Rock Russia's Orel City Amid Missile and Drone Alerts

Residents of Orel, Russia, were shaken on November 13 morning by a series of explosions and falling debris, as authorities issued warnings about incoming missile and drone threats.

Videos shared online captured fragments raining down from the sky, The Caspian Post informs via Ukrainian media.

At around 4:30 a.m. (GMT+3), local officials declared a missile threat for Orel and nearby areas, urging citizens to seek shelter. The all-clear was briefly issued, but shortly after, loud blasts and explosions were reported across the city.

Social media channels in the region reported sightings of unidentified drones flying over Orel, indicating that both missile and drone alerts were active simultaneously. Community platforms suggested that air defense systems were activated, successfully intercepting several targets, though some debris reportedly landed in residential areas.

Orel hosts oil depots and a military base used by Russian forces to launch Iranian-made Shahed drones toward Ukraine. The base includes eight ground launch pads and a 2.8-kilometer road for vehicle-based drone launches. The city is roughly 150 km from Ukraine’s northeastern border.

This incident follows a series of recent attacks on Orel. On November 5, unidentified drones struck, causing explosions visible across the city. On October 31, drone debris hit a local thermal power plant (CHP), damaging electrical equipment. Later that day, the Ukrainian Navy claimed Neptune missile strikes on the same plant, which supplied electricity to Russian military facilities, calling the strike “a significant blow to the occupiers’ logistics.”