Kyiv launches fresh drone assault on Putin’s oil refineries inside Russia

THE INDEPENDENT |  Published January 31, 2025

Volgograd governor Andrei Bocharov says a fire temporarily broke out after a Ukrainian drone attack

Ukraine has launched its second drone attack this week against oil refineries in Russia.

An oil refinery in Russia’s southern Volgograd region temporarily caught fire after an overnight Ukrainian drone attack, the regional governor said on Friday.

Andrei Bocharov, the governor, said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that Russian air defences had repelled an attack on his region by eight drones.

 

“As a result of falling debris from one of the drones, a fire broke out on the territory of an oil refinery, which was promptly extinguished. One injured refinery worker was hospitalised,” he said.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, said on Telegram that the Volgograd oil refinery, which he described as one of Russia’s largest, had been struck.

 

Ukraine has carried out frequent air attacks on Russian refineries, oil depots and industrial sites in an attempt to cripple key infrastructure underpinning Russia’s war effort.

This week it claimed to have struck and set on fire a Lukoil refinery, Russia’s fourth largest, in the Nizhny Novgorod region, east of Moscow.

 

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SOURCE: www.independent.co.uk

RELATED: Ukraine Launches Major Drone Assault on Russian Oil Infrastructure

OIL PRICE | Published January 30, 2025
  • Ukraine carried out a significant drone attack on Russian energy infrastructure, including an oil refinery, while Russia retaliated with strikes that caused civilian casualties.
  • Putin refused direct peace talks with Zelenskyy, dismissing him as illegitimate, while Zelenskyy accused Putin of fearing negotiations.
  • The US transferred Patriot air-defense missiles from Israel to Ukraine, bolstering Ukraine’s defense capabilities amid the escalating conflict.

Ukraine’s military said its drones struck a Russian oil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region as part of a massive attack targeting energy infrastructure, including a nuclear power site.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said in a statement on January 29 that the refinery was “involved in providing support to the Russian occupation army.”

 

“Combat work on strategic facilities involved in providing support for the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine will continue,” it added.

Geolocation data from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty confirmed social media posts showing a major fire at the Sibur-Kstovo oil refinery near Nizhny Novgorod.

Russian government officials in Russia’s Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod, Tver, Kursk, Leningrad, and Bryansk regions said their areas had been hit by Ukrainian drones overnight, though they did not comment on the refinery strike.

Officials in Kazan and St. Petersburg temporarily suspended traffic, citing safety concerns.

“In various areas of the Smolensk region, civilian objects are being subjected to a massive attack” by drones, Governor Vasily Anokhin wrote on Telegram.

No additional information was provided, but the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant is a major power-generating facility some 100 kilometers from Smolensk city.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its defenses shot down 104 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions overnight, but it was not possible to independently confirm the claims.

Both sides in the war have stepped up the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones in recent months, often targeting the enemy’s energy infrastructure.

Russia has also caused widespread destruction of Ukrainian civilian sites with drones, rockets, artillery, and various types of bombs. The Kremlin has denied it targets civilian areas despite evidence of such attacks.

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SOURCE: www.oilprice.com

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