The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has confirmed a series of drone attacks on three refineries in Russia, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. The targeted facilities include the Rosneft refinery in Ryazan, Lukoil in Kstov, and Surgutneftegaz in Kirishi. Russia has reported that as many as 65 drones were used in the attack.
Sources from the SBU, relayed through the Interfax-Ukraine agency and Suspilne (a public broadcaster), highlighted that these attacks are part of ongoing operations conducted over several days across various regions in Russia.
"We are engaged in the systematic implementation of a carefully planned strategy aimed at reducing the economic potential of the Russian Federation. Our goal is to deprive the enemy of resources and to limit the flow of money from the production and sale of oil and fuel, which Russia directly uses to conduct the war and kill our citizens," explained an SBU representative in conversation with Interfax-Ukraine, who chose to remain anonymous.
Below, one of the drone attacks has been captured on video.
The attacks also targeted a military airport and base, as the same source revealed that the refineries hit are among the top five of their kind in Russia. The SBU added that Russian Air Force bases in Buturlinovka in the Voronezh region and a military airport in Voronezh were also objectives of the night attacks.
Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier on Wednesday about a fire that broke out in Ryazan, a city located in the European part of Russia. According to reports on Russian social media, three explosions occurred on the premises. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow informed that 65 Ukrainian drones attacked various facilities across six regions of the country.
Reports of drone raids and fires have been emerging since the early hours of Tuesday. Russian central and regional authorities then reported 25 drones shot down in nine regions. Attacks on fuel bases and oil refining facilities in the Nizhny Novgorod and Oryol regions were confirmed, along with a fire near a thermal power plant in St. Petersburg.
Last week, media reports detailed drone attacks on strategic industrial facilities crucial to the Russian armaments industry. Among the targeted sites were the Mikhailovsky Mining and Processing Plant in Zheleznogorsk in the Kursk region and the Severstal metallurgical plants in Cherepovets in the Vologda region, underscoring the extensive reach and strategic intent behind Ukraine's drone campaign.
