Ukraine claims its drones targeted oil refineries, pumping stations in Russia
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An image circulating online that is said to show the Ukrainian strike on Russia’s Saratov refinery.
PHOTO: X
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- Ukraine claimed drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, targeting oil pipelines and refineries far inside Russian territory.
- The attacks aimed to disrupt Russia's oil exports and fuel supplies, with strikes reported near Saratov and Novokuibyshevsk.
- Russia reported intercepting 149 drones; Ukraine faced 40 missiles and 580 drones, escalating the conflict (BLOOMBERG).
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KYIV – Ukraine claimed drone strikes that damaged energy infrastructure deep within Russian territory on Sept 20, the latest of a series of attacks aimed at denting export revenues and stemming the flow of oil.
Kyiv’s forces targeted several pumping stations along the trunk oil pipeline carrying crude oil towards the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, according to a source with Ukraine’s Security Service. The facilities are located some 1,700km away from Novorossiysk.
Earlier, drones triggered explosions at two oil refineries in the Volga region, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. Blasts were reported at Rosneft’s Saratov and Novokuibyshevsk refineries, the military said on its Facebook page. The facilities are, respectively, about 1,100km and 1,800km from Kyiv.
An additional strike occurred on a “production station where high- and low-density oil is mixed from different fields to form the export grade of oil Urals” in the Samara region, according to the report.
Russia has not confirmed the latest incidents. Rosneft’s press service did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment outside of regular business hours.
Ukrainian military forces since August have intensified drone attacks on Russian energy
While the refinery attacks were not confirmed, the Saratov region’s governor, Mr Roman Busargin, reported in his Telegram channel that a woman was hospitalised and windows were broken at two apartment buildings overnight.
In the Samara region, home to Novokuibyshevsk refinery, there was an attack on “oil-and-gas objects” on the morning of Sept 20 that left four people dead, according to a local media report that quoted governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev.
The Novokuibyshevsk plant has a design processing capacity of more than 177,000 barrels of crude a day. The Saratov refinery can produce about 140,000 barrels a day.
Russia’s defence ministry reported intercepting 149 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Moscow’s armed forces launched 40 cruise and ballistic missiles, and about 580 drones into Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X. BLOOMBERG
