Ukrainian drones have attacked multiple Russian oil hubs, a strategic airbase, and a helicopter plant in the past 72 hours.
Newsweek reached out to Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment via email on Tuesday.
Why It Matters
Ukraine has ramped up drone strikes on facilities in Russia that play a role in supporting the country’s war efforts. These targets include airfields, military plants, ammunition depots and warehouses, and also oil hubs and refineries, which have supplied President Vladimir Putin’s military with fuel in the ongoing conflict, which began on February 24, 2022.
Kyiv has maintained that these attacks are in response to Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian soil throughout the war.
What To Know
The victims of Ukraine’s latest drone barrage on Russian soil include an oil plant owned by Rosneft, the country’s largest producer of oil, and a strategic bomber base—both located in the Saratov region, according to local Telegram channels.
Head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, said the Rosneft oil hub was struck in the Ukrainian drone attack. It provides Russia’s military with fuel in the ongoing war.
Saratov regional governor, Roman Busargin, said Ukrainian drones targeted and damaged an industrial enterprise, but didn’t say the oil hub had been hit. There were no casualties as a result of the attack, he said.
Videos appeared to show fires in the area.
In the nearby city of Engels, local residents said they heard loud explosions and sounds similar to machine gun fire from a military airfield at around 4 a.m. Videos published by Telegram channels showed explosions.
The airfield is used by Russia’s military station its Tu-95MS and Tu-160 jets, which launch cruise missile strikes against Ukraine and are nuclear-capable.
The ASTRA Telegram channel, a project run by independent Russian journalists, said Monday that a helicopter plant, an oil pipeline, and multiple oil refineries had been attacked by drones over the past two days.
The targets included oil depot and oil stations and a helicopter plant in the Rostov region, oil refineries in Krasnodar Krai, and an oil pipeline in the Volgograd region, the channel said.
What People Are Saying
Roman Busargin, governor of Russia’s Saratov region, said on Telegram on Tuesday: “Our air defense systems eliminated the [Ukrainian] drones. There is damage at an industrial enterprise in Saratov. Emergency services are operating in the places where [drone] debris may have fallen. There are no casualties.”
What Happens Next
Ukraine’s attacks on military targets on Russian soil appear set to continue as U.S. President Donald Trump attempts to broker peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv during his second term in the White House.
Ukrainian military learn to fly drones with bombs attached at a special school on May 12, 2023 in Lviv region Ukraine. Ukrainian military learn to fly drones with bombs attached at a special school on May 12, 2023 in Lviv region Ukraine. Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
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