Ukraine intensified its drone attacks on Russia, setting fire to a major oil refinery in the Krasnodar region and claiming a second strike in the Yaroslavl region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday. Russian authorities reported that debris from downed drones sparked the blaze in Slavyansk-na-Kubani, killing at least one person and injuring another in a nearby village.
Zelenskyy stated on the Telegram messaging app that the nighttime strikes targeted two oil refineries, calling them "long-range sanctions" that would reduce resources fueling the "Russian war machine" and serve as another step toward peace. He indicated that the Slavyansk refinery, located east of occupied Crimea, was among the facilities hit.
The Slavyansk refinery is a significant processing hub in southern Russia, handling close to 4 million tons of crude annually, according to its operator's website. It is a key supplier of petroleum products, including fuel oil, naphtha, and marine fuel, for export through Russia's Black Sea ports.
In the Yaroslavl region, approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the Ukrainian border, local Governor Mikhail Evraev reported that some roads between the region's capital and Moscow were temporarily closed due to "an enemy attack by Ukrainian drones." Yaroslavl's airport also experienced a brief overnight closure, along with other airports in southern and western Russia, according to the country's civil aviation agency. There were no immediate official reports from Russian authorities confirming a strike on the Yaroslavl refinery.
Ukraine has markedly increased its long-range attacks on Russian military industries and energy facilities in recent months. These strikes aim to diminish Moscow's revenue for its invasion, now in its fifth year, and to make the consequences of the conflict felt within Russia. Western officials suggest this campaign has hampered Russia's battlefield efforts and increased pressure on the Kremlin.
In a separate incident, Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia's Belgorod border region killed one person and injured another, according to acting Governor Alexander Shuvayev. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces shot down 213 Ukrainian drones overnight, including those over occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. Conversely, Ukraine's air force reported that Russia attacked with 142 long-range drones and eight missiles overnight, of which 125 drones and seven missiles were intercepted.