Ukraine has set a major oil refinery in southern Russia on fire, killing at least two people as the country intensifies its long-range drone attacks against Vladimir Putin's war machine. Debris from downed Ukrainian drones sparked a blaze at the refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, a town in Russia's Krasnodar region. The falling debris killed one person in Slavyansk and injured another in a nearby village, according to regional authorities.
Zelensky Confirms Strikes on Two Refineries
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukraine was behind the strike. He also claimed a second Russian refinery, in the Yaroslavl region about 435 miles (700km) from the Ukrainian border, was hit during the overnight strikes. Photos and footage circulating on Russian social media show a thick cloud of smoke over what users said was the Slavyansk refinery. The Express was not immediately able to verify the images.
Mr Zelensky posted video on X which shows a huge blaze and thick, black smoke billowing into the sky. In the post, he vowed in eight words: "We will continue to respond to Russian terror." He wrote on the Telegram messaging app: "Tonight, our 'long-range sanctions' reached two oil refineries in Russia... Each (strike) means a reduction in the resources that fuel the Russian war machine, and another step toward peace."
Impact on Russian Fuel Supplies
Kyiv's campaign of massive, long-range strikes has choked Russian fuel supplies and military deliveries. Yesterday Mr Zelensky said Ukraine had attacked Russia's Titan-Barrikady facility in Volgograd. Ukraine has stepped up its long-range attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities in recent months, aiming to cut Moscow's revenue for its illegal invasion, which is now in its fifth year. The Ukrainians also want to make Russian people feel the consequences of Vladimir Putin's war.
Western officials say the campaign has helped stall Moscow's efforts on the battlefield and piles pressure on the Kremlin. The Slavyansk site is one of southern Russia's major refineries, processing close to four million tons of crude per year, according to its operator's website. It is also a key source of petroleum products intended for export through Russia's Black Sea ports, including fuel oil, naphtha and marine fuel.
Russian Response and Closures
There were no immediate reports from Russian authorities about the Ukrainian strike on the refinery in the Yaroslavl region. Local Governor, Mikhail Evraev, said on Sunday morning that some roads between Moscow and the region's capital, Yaroslavl, were temporarily closed due to "an enemy attack by Ukrainian drones." Yaroslavl's airport also briefly closed overnight, along with others in southern and western Russia, according to the country's civil aviation agency.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian drone strikes killed one person and injured another in Russia's border region of Belgorod, its acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev said on Sunday. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces shot down 213 Ukrainian drones during the night, including over Russia, occupied Crimea, the Black Sea and Azov Sea. Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 142 long-range strike drones and eight missiles overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force. It said that of those, 125 drones and seven missiles were downed.
