Ukrainian drone strikes hit Russian oil refineries
Ukrainian drone strikes have struck two oil refineries in a cross-border attack, igniting an enormous blaze as Kyiv’s forces continue a series of retaliatory strikes inside Russian territory.
The governor of Russia’s Samara region said Kyiv’s attack hit two refineries in Syzran owned by oil giant Rosneft. He claimed there were no casualties as emergency services worked to put out the fire.
A Ukrainian source told Reuters that Kyiv’s SBU intelligence agency had struck three Samara region Rosneft refineries: Syzran, Novokuibyshevsky, and Kuibyshevsky.
“The SBU continues to implement its strategy to undermine the economic potential of the Russian Federation, which allows it to wage war in Ukraine,” the source said.
Unverified footage posted to social media showed the enormous inferno smothering the refinery following its evacuation.
Governor Dmitry Azarov said in a statement posted to the Telegram messaging app that Ukraine also tried to attack a refinery in Novokubyshev in the same region but the drone was shot down.
The strikes – around 600 miles (965km) from the nearest Ukrainian territory – hit at 6am local time, according to reports.
Ukraine and anti-Kremlin paramilitary groups have launched a series of attacks inside Russian territory in recent weeks that have largely targeted oil infrastructure.
The tactic is intended to impede the fuel supplies needed by Russian forces within Ukraine while also inflicting a reduced fuel supply for the wider country.
Kyiv’s forces have within the past few days managed to target facilities that account for around 12 per cent of Russia’s entire oil-processing capacity, Bloomberg reported.
A strike on Belgorod, close to Ukraine’s border, this week killed five people, including a child, the region’s governor said.
Authorities in the under-attack region said Saturday they would close schools and public areas due to the increased Ukrainian strikes.
“Based on the current situation, we have decided that shopping centres in Belgorod and the Belgorod district will not work on Sunday and Monday,” regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on social media. He said schools would be closed on both Monday and Tuesday.
The most recent attack on Belgorod came on Saturday, which Russia’s defence ministry said its anti-missile defence system managed to prevent.
“Attacks were repelled and attempts to infiltrate into the territory of the Russian Federation by Ukrainian militant sabotage and reconnaissance groups … were foiled,” the ministry claimed.
It comes after President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of trying to sabotage Russia’s presidential election. The country is today on its second day of voting.
Putin is almost certain to win amid a lack of any effective opposition and the removal or incarceration of any of his rivals. He will be set to rule Russia until at least 2030.
