Ukraine hits Russian oil refinery deep behind front

In this photo taken from video released by Governor of Bryansk Region Alexander Bogomaz telegram channel AV BogomaZ on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, Oil reservoirs are seen in fire after the drone reached Klintsy, a city in Bryansk Region of Russia, about 60 kilometres (40 miles) from the Russia-Ukrainian border. (Governor of Bryansk Region Alexander Bogomaz telegram channel AV BogomaZ via AP)

Ukrainian drones on Thursday hit a major Russian oil refinery some 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) from the front line, triggering a fire, officials from both countries said.

The strike is the latest in a wave of drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure as Kyiv seeks to knock out Russia’s vital energy revenues that fund its army.

A source in Ukraine’s SBU security agency said its drones had hit “the heart” of a refinery in the central Bashkortostan region run by state-controlled energy giant Gazprom.

Unverified images on Russian social media showed a fire at the facility and a plume of dark smoke rising above it.

Russia typically does not confirm successful Ukrainian strikes, but Radiy Khabirov, the Russian head of the region, said Thursday the refinery had been hit.

“Two drones attacked the facility. There were no fatalities or people wounded. Passive and active defences were activated and the site’s security opened fire to neutralize them,” he said on social media on Thursday morning.

“We are assessing the state of the damage and currently extinguishing the fire,” he added.

Strikes over the summer months have knocked out a notable portion of Russia’s refining capacity.

Though there are no official estimates as to the extent of the damage, fuel prices have surged across the country and petrol shortages have been recorded in many regions.

The Kremlin extended a ban on petrol exports in a bid to keep prices on the domestic market in check.

Gazprom Neft said earlier Thursday it was delaying planned maintenance work at one site in order not to exacerbate the fuel crisis.

U.S. President Donald Trump is also seeking to hobble Russia’s potential to earn from its energy sales, ramping up tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil, threatening China and urging Europe to do the same.