Kyiv has launched drone attacks on Russia for months during Moscow’s almost two-year offensive…reports Asian Lite News
A fire broke out overnight at a major Russian oil refinery in the southwestern Volgograd region, authorities said Saturday, after a drone strike claimed by Ukraine.
Kyiv has launched drone attacks on Russia for months during Moscow’s almost two-year offensive, and a Ukrainian defense source told AFP Kyiv’s SBU security service had “organized” the attack.
“Last night, the air defense and electronic jamming repelled an attack by drones in the Volgograd region’s Kalachyovsky and Zakanalye districts,” governor Andrei Bocharov said on Telegram.
“A fire started at the Volgograd refinery after one of the downed drones fell,” he said, adding that the fire service had already brought the blaze under control by the start of the morning.
No one was hurt, Bocharov said.
Kyiv, which used not to claim such attacks, has changed tactic and now publicly takes responsibility.
“The fire at the refinery in Volgograd was “organized” by SBU drones,” a source in the Ukrainian defense sector said.
Industry giant Lukoil, which operates the refinery, says on its website it is “the biggest producer of oil products in the federal South district” which covers eight regions of southwest Russia.
The plant is located south of the city of Volgograd.
Local media V1 published photos it said showed an overnight explosion during the attack.
Local resident told V1 they heard two explosions.
The Russian army said air defense electronic jamming had brought down or intercepted four drones in the region of Belgorod which borders Ukraine, two in Volgograd and one more in the Rostov-on-Don area.
Meanwhile, Russia strongly condemns the US strikes on Syria and Iraq and is seeking an immediate review of the emerging situation through the United Nations (UN) Security Council, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has said.
“American airstrikes involving strategic bombers across Iraq and Syria, … once again demonstrated to the world the aggressive nature of US policy in the Middle East and Washington’s complete disregard for international law,” Zakharova said on Saturday in a Telegram post.
The spokesperson said the US is purposefully trying to plunge the largest countries in the region into conflict by conducting the strikes.
“Recent events confirm that the United States is not and has never been looking for solutions to problems in the region,” she added.
The US on Friday carried out strikes on Iran-linked militia targets in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a deadly attack on its military base in Jordan.
