Ukraine drone attack suspends operation at Russian refinery

Russia and Ukraine launched attacks on energy infrastructure causing damage to an oil refinery in Russia, while Ukraine sustained a missile barrage on gas infrastructure and other targets.

Both sides have launched waves of attacks at each other’s infrastructure, with Ukraine targeting Russian energy facilities even as the US warned the tactic was hitting global energy markets.

The Russian attack was deep inside Ukraine near the border with the European Union.

Ukrainian drones targeted Slavyansk oil refinery in Krasnodar region causing a fire, which partially suspended refinery operations, Russian media reported.

The plant was hit by 10 drones, state-run news agency Tass said, citing a refinery representative.

Russia’s defence ministry said 66 drones were intercepted and downed over the Krasnodar region.

Drones also targeted the Kushchevsk military airfield and the Ilsky refinery, also in Krasnodar, a Ukrainian security source said. Russian officials and media have not referred to the Ilsky facility.

“The SBU continues to target military and infrastructure facilities behind enemy lines effectively,” the Ukrainian security source told Reuters.

The Slavyansk refinery is capable of processing four million tonnes of oil a year and is one of the closest facilities to a war zone in eastern Ukraine.

It was previously hit by drones in March along with many other large Russian refineries. Some of the affected facilities are still processing less than before the attacks.

Ukrainian officials said Russia carried out a “massive” missile strike in Ukraine, damaging four power plants in the latest barrage targeting the country's energy supply.

Moscow has launched some of its largest strikes of the war on Ukraine's energy facilities in recent months, knocking out a significant chunk of production, and triggering blackouts and energy rationing across the country.

“Russian armed forces staged another massive missile attack on Ukraine,” the Ukrainian army said.

“The enemy has once again attacked the country's energy infrastructure. In particular, facilities in Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions were attacked. There is damage to equipment,” Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a Facebook post.

The US has told Ukraine that attacks on Russian oil refineries were impacting global energy markets and urged Kyiv to focus on military targets.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, some 21 Russian missiles of various types were intercepted overnight out of 34 fired, the Ukrainian air force said on Telegram. Poland’s army scrambled jets twice when Russian missiles flew close to its border.

Targets included energy facilities in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions in the West, and the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine, the national grid operator Ukrenergo said in statement on Facebook.

The Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions are in Ukraine's west, bordering the EU and hundreds of kilometres from the front lines.

State-run Naftogaz said gas infrastructure facilities came under attack but that service to clients and to Ukrainian consumers were not interrupted.