Black smoke has been seen rising over a city in Russia after another suspected Ukrainian strike on an oil facility. An oil depot in Podolsk in Moscow Oblast, around 25 miles south of the Kremlin, was left burning following an overnight drone assault, local reports say.
Massive Drone Barrage on Moscow Region
Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said more than 400 Ukrainian drones were fired towards the Russian capital region overnight. He stated that 85 were destroyed on approach to Moscow, while “most” had been taken out on the “distant approaches”. Photos and videos shared online by locals show thick smoke billowing over Podolsk.
The nearby Domodedovo hospital said it was treating six people with “mine-blast injuries of varying severity”. The full extent of damage was not immediately clear and the Russian authorities are yet to comment on the reports.
Ukraine's Campaign Against Russian Oil Infrastructure
Ukraine has not commented on the reported attack on Podolsk, but Kyiv’s forces have been waging a devastating campaign against Russian oil infrastructure. The repeated strikes from long-range drones have seen Russia facing a deepening fuel shortage, while also stretching the Kremlin’s purse strings.
It has been claimed Vladimir Putin is plotting a new round of mobilisation to help Russia turn the tide of the bloody war which is in its fifth year.
Additional Strikes and Retaliation
Ukrainian forces also reportedly struck a logistics centre near Podolsk in Moscow Oblast overnight. Monitoring channels also reported fires at a residential building in Domodedovo and a warehouse of a major Russian retailer after a drone strike, according to the Kyiv Independent.
It comes after a major aerial assault on Kyiv and other cities on Sunday. Ukrainian officials said at least six people were killed and 16 were injured in the bombardment. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the strikes as “one of the largest Russian ballistic missile attacks to date”, with Kyiv and its surrounding areas the main target.
“[Russia] had been preparing this attack for several days, stockpiling missiles,” he said. “The threat, of course, remains even now, and this must be taken into account. Russia is placing its wagers on ballistic missiles, and it is because of them that Putin still believes in his war.”
On Sunday, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had hit three oil depots and a fuel facility in southern Russia.
