Key facts
- Ukraine struck the Vtorovo oil pumping station in Russia's Vladimir Oblast for the second time this month.
- The Vtorovo station is a key energy hub supplying fuel to Moscow Oblast and major airports.
- The strike is part of a 40-day campaign approved by President Zelensky to pressure Russia.
- Ukrainian drones hit technical buildings at the facility, causing explosions.
- Ukraine also struck a military-industrial facility in Volgograd with long-range missiles on the same day.
Ukrainian forces conducted a second strike this month on the Vtorovo oil pumping station in Russia's Vladimir Oblast, a key energy infrastructure hub supplying Moscow. The Security Service (SBU) announced the attack on June 27, stating that drones from its Alpha special forces unit hit technical buildings, causing explosions. This strike is part of a 40-day campaign approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 25, intended to pressure Russia into ending the war.
The Vtorovo station, located approximately 230 kilometers east of Moscow, is operated by Transneft, Russia's state-owned oil pipeline monopoly. It plays a crucial role in pumping raw materials from central Russian refineries to export terminals and domestic consumers, including major Moscow airports like Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo. The facility was previously targeted by the SBU on June 10.
Ukraine has increasingly utilized domestically produced long-range weapons and drones to attack Russian oil assets and military facilities. The SBU also reported a separate successful strike on June 27 using Ukrainian-made Flamingo FP-5 missiles against a key Russian military-industrial facility in Volgograd.