Ukraine has escalated its long‑range drone campaign against Russia, launching overnight strikes that set fire to a major oil refinery in the country’s south and left at least two people dead, according to Russian authorities. The latest assault is part of Kyiv’s strategy to choke Russian fuel supplies and disrupt military logistics pressure it hopes will force Moscow toward negotiations.
Russian officials said debris from downed Ukrainian drones triggered a blaze at the Slavyansk‑na‑Kubani refinery in the Krasnodar region, east of occupied Crimea. Regional authorities confirmed one person was killed in Slavyansk and another injured in a nearby village. Images circulating on Russian social media showed thick plumes of smoke rising over what users identified as the refinery, though the visuals have not yet been independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged responsibility for the strike, adding that a second refinery in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, roughly 700 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, was also hit during the nighttime operation.
“Tonight, our ‘long‑range sanctions’ reached two oil refineries in Russia,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “Each strike means a reduction in the resources that fuel the Russian war machine, and another step toward peace.”
Kyiv’s drone offensive has grown increasingly bold in recent months, targeting infrastructure deep inside Russian territory. Moscow says the attacks threaten civilian safety, while Ukraine argues they are necessary to weaken Russia’s ability to sustain its invasion.
With both sides trading accusations and intensifying strikes, the conflict continues to push further beyond the front lines aand deeper into each nation’s strategic assets.
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