Ukrainian drones have targeted a Russian oil refinery located hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border, marking the latest move in a series of deep strikes focused on undermining Russia’s oil sector.
The attacks that took place overnight on May 31 at the facility in the central Saratov region—this being the second assault since March—seem to have not resulted in any injuries.
However, significant flames and dense black smoke were observed at the refinery owned by the state-run oil firm Rosneft.
According to Ukraine’s military, their drones specifically aimed at the Saratov refinery alongside several other sites throughout Russia.
Saratov Governor Roman Busargin reported that “civilian infrastructure” sustained damage, though specifics were not provided.
Since the start of this year, Ukraine has noticeably intensified its drone offensives against Russian oil and gas installations nationwide.
This initiative appears focused on diminishing Russia’s capability to export hydrocarbons and secure funds for its extensive warfare against Ukraine.
Russia has profited from the surge in global energy prices triggered by the conflict involving the US and Israel against Iran.
Ukraine’s operations, which have included strikes on pipelines and storage sites, have led to a suspension or decrease in production at nearly all of the major oil refineries in central Russia. Estimates from Reuters indicate that these actions have significantly reduced Russia’s oil production.
In Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed forcibly from Ukraine in 2014, local officials announced the implementation of gasoline rationing, which limits drivers to daily allowances and forbids the use of portable containers.
Public transportation will be prioritized, as mentioned by regional leader Sergei Aksyonov.
In a separate incident, Aleksei Likhachev, the head of Russia’s state atomic agency Rosatom, asserted that a Ukrainian drone exploded near the turbine building of one of the six reactors at the Zaporizhzhya plant, which is the largest in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military dismissed this assertion, labeling it a part of Russia’s disinformation strategy aimed at diverting attention from its own wartime atrocities and losses.
The Zaporizhzhya plant, which is the largest nuclear facility in Europe, has been in a state of cold shutdown since 2022 following the Russian military’s occupation of parts of the region and the plant, compelling local personnel to operate the facility under duress.
Kyiv has accused Russia of repeatedly attempting to sabotage the plant to make Ukraine appear culpable.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, has been working to ensure the plant’s safety.
The agency acknowledged the reported drone strike but refrained from assigning blame to either Ukraine or Russia, noting that “this would be the first drone attack within the… site perimeter since April 2024.”
