Ukraine claims overnight drone strikes on two Russian refineries

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanized Brigade press service, a soldier fires a mortar towards positions of Russian troops near Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine. (AP/File image)

Ukrainian drone strikes triggered explosions at two oil refineries in the Volga region on Saturday, Ukraine’s General Staff said, the latest in a series of targeted attacks on oil infrastructure deep within Russia.

Blasts were reported at Rosneft’s Saratov and Novokuibyshevsk refineries, the military said on its Facebook page. The facilities are, respectively, about 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) and 1,800 km from Kyiv.

An additional strike occurred on a “a production station where high- and low-density oil is mixed from different fields to form the export grade of oil Urals” located in the Samara region, according to the report.

Russia hasn’t confirmed the latest incidents. Rosneft’s press service didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment outside of regular business hours.

Since last month, Ukrainian military forces have intensified drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, including oil refineries, as Kyiv aims to curb fuel supplies to the front lines and limit Russia’s export revenue.

While the refinery attacks weren’t confirmed, the Saratov region’s governor Roman Busargin reported in his Telegram channel that a woman was hospitalized and windows broken at two apartment buildings overnight.

In the Samara region, home to Novokuibyshevsk refinery, there was an attack on “oil-and-gas objects” on Saturday morning, according to a local media report that quoted Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev.

The Novokuibyshevsk plant has a design processing capacity of over 177,000 barrels of crude a day. The Saratov refinery, can produce about 140,000 barrels a day.

Russia’s defense ministry reported intercepting 149 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Moscow’s armed forces launched 40 cruise and ballistic missiles and about 580 drones into Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a post on X.