A chemical emergency alert was issued in parts of the city of Perm on Thursday following a second day of Ukrainian drone strikes on industrial sites in the wider region, though local officials later claimed the warning was only a test despite residents reporting huge smoke clouds and a distinct chemical odor in the air, The Moscow Times reports.
Perm region Governor Dmitry Makhonin said several industrial sites were targeted in the morning attack. He said workers at the facilities were sheltering in place as emergency responders arrived at the scene of the attacks.
Makhonin claimed there was “no significant damage” and that no one was reported injured.
Yet videos widely circulated on social media and in Russian news reports showed huge columns of smoke rising into the air. NASA satellite imagery also showed a prominent black streak of smoke rising above Perm and extending around 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of the city.
Russian and Ukrainian Telegram news channels identified at least one target of Thursday’s attack as a Lukoil-operated oil refinery.
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