Ukraine has attacked several Russian oil facilities and set two tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov, the latest in a series of strikes on Russian energy sites that have caused a fuel crisis.
Drones hit oil depots in the Tver and Stavropol regions overnight into Thursday. In the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers ablaze, according to Rostov Governor Yury Slyusar, who said one of the ships was still burning and the crews were evacuated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his defence forces also hit a reserve fuel storage facility about 800km from the front line, and an oil-pumping station in Ufa nearly 1,500km from Ukraine’s border. He said they also struck an oil-loading terminal in the Rostov region.
Kyiv’s attacks on Russian oil depots and refineries have triggered a fuel crisis across Russia, forcing Moscow – one of the world’s top oil producers – to ban a number of exports. More than 90 percent of Russian regions have introduced some form of rationing or reported shortages in petrol and diesel.
Zelenskyy described the strikes as part of Kyiv’s campaign of “long-range sanctions” carried out in response to Russian attacks and Moscow’s refusal to end the war. “We have long proposed that Russia end this war, and every day of delay should bring the feeling of war to where it all began – to Russia,” he said.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said air defences downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday until early Thursday. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia fired 94 long-range strike drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight.
The attacks came a day after US President Donald Trump, meeting Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkiye, pledged to grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture the Patriot air defence system. When asked about the Ukrainian strikes in Russia, Trump appeared to endorse the campaign, stating, “It’s an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end.”
The Kremlin said Ukrainian military pressure would not force it into concessions. “We see certain misconceptions within the White House administration – that by escalating military pressure it can help move to a peace settlement. That is a mistaken view,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He also threatened that Russia would respond by “creating a larger security zone” – a reference to seizing more territory in eastern Ukraine.
Source: www.aljazeera.com