The Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region has been forced to suspend some operations after being damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack, the state TASS news agency cited an executive overseeing the plant as saying on Saturday.
On the back foot on the battlefield in some places, Ukraine has been systematically targeting Russian energy infrastructure facilities — despite U.S. requests for it not to do so — in an attempt to disrupt Russia's economy and, therefore, its ability to fund its war effort.
A Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters that Ukraine had attacked the Ilsky and Slavyansk oil refineries in Russia's Krasnodar region with drones early on Saturday, causing fires at the facilities.
The same source said Ukrainian drones had also targeted the Kushchevsk military airfield in the same region overnight.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defense units had destroyed 66 Ukrainian drones over the territory of the Krasnodar region and two more over the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
“The work of the (Slavyansk) plant has been partially suspended. Exactly 10 UAVs (drones) flew directly into the plant, there was a strong fire. There may be hidden damage,” Eduard Trudnev, the security director at Slavyansk ECO Group, which operates the plant, was cited as saying by TASS.
Earlier on Saturday, Roman Siniagovskyi, a local government official in Slavyansk, said on his official Telegram channel that the refinery's storage tank facilities had not been damaged but that a distillation tower had been hit.
He said a fire caused by the attack had been put out and nobody had been injured.
News Related-
Raskin, other House Democrats pressure Biden to do more to protect children in Gaza
-
Israel and Hamas reach deal to release 50 civilian women and children held in Gaza
-
US hits Iran-backed militants with fourth round of retaliatory airstrikes
-
Speaker Mike Johnson meets Trump at Mar-a-Lago after going 'all in' on former president
-
'Really worried': Meta decision allowing 2020 election-denial ads risks distrust, extremism, experts say
-
House Republicans subpoena prosecutor in Hunter Biden case
-
Biden orders flags lowered to half-staff to honor Rosalynn Carter
-
Virginia Democrats propose amendment to guarantee abortion access after winning General Assembly
-
DeSantis expected to earn another major endorsement in Iowa, but still trails Trump
-
Binance founder Chengpeng Zhao to plead guilty to money laundering charges: DOJ
-
U.S. FDIC announces special committee to review allegations of sexual harassment, misconduct
-
Both sides appeal ruling Trump engaged in Jan. 6 insurrection but can still run in 2024
-
US gunship strikes back at Iran-linked militants who injured several US troops in Iraq
-
Democratic senators call on Biden to press Israel to allow more Gaza aid