Russia says destroyed 376 Ukrainian drones, oil facilities targeted

MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday it destroyed 376 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight and that fires broke out at several oil facilities.

Ukraine has beefed up its efforts in recent months to hinder Moscow’s financial capabilities in its war, targeting energy infrastructure in retaliation for strikes.

Moscow’s air defence units intercepted unmanned aerial vehicles around the country, including over the capital region, the defence ministry wrote on the state-run Max platform.Drone attacks also sparked fires at oil facilities in southern Russia, authorities said, with debris from an unmanned aerial vehicle causing a blaze at a refinery in Krasnodar Krai, while fires broke out at two petrol storage facilities in the Azov district.

Fragments of drones fell across a town in Krasnodar Krai’s Severskaya district, where the Ilsky refinery is located, including in the courtyard of a home, the regional operational headquarters posted on Telegram.The attacks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged last month that the country was suffering fuel shortages after repeated Ukrainian strikes.

Kyiv calls the attacks fair retribution for Russia’s near-daily barrages on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure since Moscow’s February 2022 offensive.

In Azov, emergency services were at the scene, regional governor Yury Slyusar wrote on Telegram.