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Ukrainian drone strikes injure eight Russians and spark fires at fuel depot

According to Moscow, Ukrainian drone strikes in Russia caused a major fire at a fuel depot in the early hours of Thursday morning, injuring at least eight people.

Half a dozen drones hit a fuel facility in Krasnodar and damaged storage tanks, the region’s administration said.

“Several tanks were damaged,” the government said on its Telegram channel, adding that no one was injured.

It was the second Ukrainian attack on the oil depot within a week, Russian state media reported. The previous strike took place on May 2nd.

In another attack on Thursday, Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Belgorod, injuring at least eight people and damaging scores of residential buildings and cars, the region’s governor said. Belgorod borders Ukraine in the southwest.

The injured Russians included an 11-year-old girl who was taken to a hospital, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

The attack also damaged 34 apartments in 19 apartment buildings and at least three dozen cars in the city.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its military shot down several Ukrainian drones and missiles over the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions.

While Kiev did not comment on recent attacks on Russian territory, it frequently stated that the attack on military, energy and transport infrastructure in the neighboring country was a legitimate response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has described attacks on its civilian infrastructure as terrorism.

Thursday was the second Ukrainian attack on Belgorod. At least seven people were killed and 35 injured in the previous attack on Monday near the village of Beryozovka.

Governor Gladkov said Ukrainian drones attacked two vans carrying employees of a nearby factory and a passenger car. Belgorod government officials said the vehicles belonged to a meat production plant.

Ukrainian drone attacks on energy facilities in Russia have become more frequent in recent months as Russian troops have intensified their offensive in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said the attacks were intended to undermine Russia’s war effort and in retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.