Ukraine drone attacks target Russian energy facilities, spark oil refinery fires

Falling drone debris sparked respective fires astatine an lipid refinery, the connection said. Bocharov did not accidental which refinery was connected occurrence but said the blazes had been contained.

Baza, a Russian quality Telegram transmission that is adjacent to Russia’s information services, said that a bid of explosions were heard successful the country astir a refinery operated by Russia’s second-largest lipid shaper Lukoil.

Russia’s defence ministry said that its aerial defence units intercepted and destroyed 70 Ukrainian drones implicit Russian territory overnight, including 25 implicit the Volgograd region, 27 implicit the Rostov portion and 7 implicit the Astrakhan region.

In Astrakhan, the drone onslaught sparked a fire, the region’s politician said, without disclosing what was ablaze.

“Ukrainian equipped forces attempted a drone onslaught connected objects located successful the region, including substance and vigor facilities,” Igor Babushkin, the governor, said connected Telegram. “There were nary casualties.” Baza said that Ukraine attacked a state processing works adjacent Astrakhan.

Reuters could not independently verify the Baza reports astir the attacks successful Volgograd and Astrakhan.

Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia temporarily suspended flights from the airports of Astrakhan and Volgograd, arsenic good arsenic from Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Saratov and Ulyanovsk to guarantee aerial safety. Flights were aboriginal restored astatine astir of the airports, Rosaviatsia said connected Telegram.

There was nary contiguous remark from Ukraine astir the attacks connected Russia and their afloat scope remained unclear.

Kyiv has said antecedently that its attacks wrong Russia are aimed astatine destroying energy, transport and subject infrastructure that is cardinal to Moscow’s warfare efforts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said they are besides a effect to Russia’s continued bombing of Ukraine since the commencement of Moscow’s full-scale penetration successful February 2022.