Key facts
- Ukraine conducted nighttime attacks on oil facilities deep within Russia, including refineries in Bashkortostan and Yaroslavl.
- Ukrainian forces also targeted two Russian military patrol boats and vessels associated with Russia's 'shadow fleet' in the Black Sea.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the strikes aim to disrupt Russia's wartime economy and exploit its air defense vulnerabilities.
- Russia's Defense Ministry claimed to have intercepted numerous Ukrainian drones.
- Simultaneously, Russian attacks across Ukraine resulted in civilian casualties and injuries, with authorities seeking more air defense interceptors.
Ukraine has intensified its campaign to disrupt Russia's wartime economy by striking oil facilities deep within Russian territory, including refineries in Bashkortostan and Yaroslavl, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday. The attacks, which also targeted Russian military patrol boats and vessels of Moscow's 'shadow fleet' in the Black Sea, aim to undermine Russia's financial capacity and exploit its increasingly strained air defenses.
Zelenskyy stated on social media that the strikes were successful, noting the significant distance of the targets from the Ukrainian border. These repeated strikes on energy infrastructure have reportedly caused fuel shortages within Russia and rattled its population, while offering a morale boost to Ukrainians facing regular Russian bombardments.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted a large number of Ukrainian drones overnight. Concurrently, Russian forces continued their aerial assaults across Ukraine, with authorities reporting at least three civilian deaths and 22 injuries from drone and glide bomb attacks. The attacks damaged residential buildings and infrastructure in various regions, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrainian officials are urgently seeking more interceptor missiles to bolster their air defenses, particularly for systems like the U.S.-made Patriot, which are crucial for countering Russian ballistic missile attacks. President Zelenskyy has been actively engaging with international partners, including NATO chief Mark Rutte and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, to expedite the procurement of these vital interceptors and cut through bureaucratic hurdles.