Ukraine says drones hit two major Russian oil refineries
Ukraine reported drone strikes on the Bashneft-Novoil and Slavneft-Yanos refineries, causing fires but no fatalities, as part of its campaign against Russian energy assets.
Ukraine's military said it carried out drone attacks on two Russian oil refineries on Thursday. The targets were the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan and the Slavneft-Yanos complex in the Yaroslavl region, which is located about 170 miles northeast of Moscow.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted on social media that the strikes were intended to curb Russia's oil revenues, which he said fund its war effort. The Slavneft-Yanos plant, one of Russia's largest refineries, processes roughly 15 million tons of crude annually and employs more than 3,500 workers.
Yaroslavl regional governor Mikhail Evraev said the attack was the largest drone assault the area has faced, with air-defence systems and electronic warfare destroying 93 drones. He reported that debris struck storage tanks, igniting a fire that emergency crews were working to extinguish. No deaths were reported, though four people were injured.
The strikes come amid a broader Ukrainian effort to target Russian energy infrastructure and commercial assets, while Russian forces have increased missile attacks on Ukrainian cities and vessels in the Black Sea.