Russian officials said Ukrainian drones struck overnight, igniting a fire at a major southern refinery as Kyiv continued targeting energy sites tied to Moscow’s war effort.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A Ukrainian drone assault sparked a fire at a major oil refinery in southern Russia overnight, Russian authorities said Sunday, as Kyiv continued its expanded campaign against energy and military infrastructure inside Russia.
Russian officials said at least two people were killed in the broader wave of Ukrainian drone attacks. The strikes came as Ukraine has intensified long-range operations against refineries, military-industrial facilities and other sites connected to Moscow’s invasion, now in its fifth year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the latest strikes were part of Kyiv’s effort to weaken Russia’s ability to finance and sustain the war.
“Tonight, our ‘long-range sanctions’ reached two oil refineries in Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote Sunday on Telegram. “Each (strike) means a reduction in the resources that fuel the Russian war machine, and another step toward peace.”
One of the reported targets was a refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, a town in Russia’s Krasnodar region east of occupied Crimea. Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said debris from downed Ukrainian drones caused a fire at the refinery.
Regional authorities said falling debris killed one person in Slavyansk and injured another person in a nearby village.
The Slavyansk refinery is one of southern Russia’s major oil-processing facilities. According to its operator’s website, the site processes nearly 4 million tons of crude oil annually and supplies petroleum products for export through Russia’s Black Sea ports, including fuel oil, naphtha and marine fuel.
Photos and videos circulating on Russian social media showed a thick column of smoke over what users identified as the Slavyansk facility. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the images.
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine hit a second refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, about 700 kilometers, or 435 miles, from the Ukrainian border.
Russian authorities did not immediately report a strike on the Yaroslavl refinery. Local Gov. Mikhail Evraev said Sunday morning that some roads between Moscow and the regional capital, Yaroslavl, were temporarily closed because of “an enemy attack by Ukrainian drones.”
Yaroslavl’s airport was also briefly closed overnight. Russia’s civil aviation agency said other airports in southern and western Russia were also temporarily shut down.
Ukrainian drone strikes also killed one person and injured another in Russia’s Belgorod border region, acting Gov. Alexander Shuvayev said Sunday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 213 Ukrainian drones overnight, including over Russian territory, occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas.
Ukraine’s drone campaign has increasingly focused on Russia’s energy sector and military supply chain. Western analysts say the attacks have disrupted Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries, while adding pressure on Moscow as battlefield operations continue.
Russia also launched overnight attacks against Ukraine. Ukraine’s air force said Moscow fired 142 long-range strike drones and eight missiles. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 125 drones and seven missiles, according to the air force.
The latest exchange showed both sides continuing to rely heavily on long-range drones as Ukraine targets Russian war-supporting infrastructure and Russia maintains its missile and drone campaign against Ukrainian territory.
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