Ukrainian drone attack causes fire at Russian oil facility

KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine claimed responsibility Tuesday for a nighttime drone attack on a Russian oil facility that sparked a massive fire, the latest long-range assault by Kyiv forces on a border region.

Ukraine has stepped up its air strikes on Russian soil in recent months, targeting refineries and oil terminals in an effort to slow the Kremlin’s war machine. Moscow’s army is advancing hard along the front line in eastern Ukraine, where a shortage of troops and ammunition in the third year of war has left defenders vulnerable.

The attack caused an oil reservoir in the Russian Rostov region to catch fire. According to Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev, more than 200 firefighters were on site.

The fire covered an area of ​​5,000 square meters, but there were no casualties, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.

A Ukrainian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information to the media, said the attack was a special operation by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). The drones targeted two Rostov oil depots containing 22 oil reservoirs, the official said.

Independent confirmation of the claim was not possible.

Kyiv officials usually refuse to comment on attacks on Russian territory, although they sometimes indirectly refer to them.

Ukrainian drone developers have been extending the range of the weapons for months to offset Kyiv’s disadvantage on the battlefield. The unmanned aerial vehicles also provide a cost-effective alternative while Ukraine awaits further Western military aid.