Ukraine's Drone Strikes Hit Russian Energy Installations

 

Ukraine initiated a series of drone strikes on oil facilities in western Russia early Wednesday, as confirmed by defense sources in Kyiv. This marks the latest effort by Ukraine to disrupt Russian military logistics through aerial assaults.

 

In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified its aerial attacks on Russian energy facilities, aiming to impair Moscow's capacity to target Ukrainian cities or advance further into the industrial east.

 

Reports of the attacks first surfaced from officials in the western Russian regions of Smolensk and Lipetsk.

 

Vasily Anokhin, Governor of Smolensk, took to social media to announce the attacks, stating that the region was once again targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes. He noted fires erupting at civilian energy infrastructure sites but assured that no injuries were reported.

 

Meanwhile, further south in the Lipetsk region, Governor Igor Artamonov reported another drone attack. The targeted area houses metallurgical and pharmaceutical sites, though Artamonov clarified that residential neighborhoods were not affected.

 

According to a source within the Ukrainian defense sector speaking to AFP, drones affiliated with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) executed the attacks. While the source didn't mention the Lipetsk attack, they claimed that two oil depots were destroyed in the Smolensk region.

 

The source detailed the destruction of two storage and pumping bases for fuels and lubricants belonging to Rosneft, a Russian state-controlled energy corporation, in the towns of Yartsevo and Rozdorovo.

 

The attacks targeted facilities storing approximately 26,000 cubic meters of fuel, with the source asserting Ukraine's intent to continue such bombardments, considering these facilities as legitimate targets.

 

While Russia has persistently targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure, causing enduring harm to critical facilities, Ukraine has retaliated with strikes on Russian refineries and oil storage sites, extending beyond border regions like Smolensk to areas hundreds of kilometers away.