Key facts
- Ukraine conducted drone and sea vessel attacks on two Russian oil refineries, Bashneft-Novoil and Slavneft-Yanos.
- The strikes targeted Russian military patrol boats and 'shadow fleet' vessels in the Black Sea.
- President Zelenskyy stated the attacks aim to limit Russia's oil revenues used to finance the war.
- Russia claimed to have intercepted 605 Ukrainian drones overnight.
- Russian attacks across Ukraine resulted in civilian casualties and infrastructure damage.
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 civilian deaths and injuries from drone and glide bomb attacks in regions including Kharkiv, Sumy, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. The attacks damaged residential buildings and infrastructure.
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 to expedite the procurement of these vital interceptors.