Ukrainian forces struck Russia’s major Ufa oil refinery for the second time in a week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday.
The Ufa refinery is one of Russia’s largest producers of lubricants and is located more than 1,000 kilometres from Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“This is an entirely just response to everything Russia is doing against us. Peace is needed, and this is exactly what Russia’s leadership must realise,” Zelenskyy wrote.
“Russia must end its war. And Russia’s leadership has every opportunity to do so. I thank every Ukrainian warrior who ensures our long-range accuracy.”
Ukraine also struck a plant producing missile components in Russia’s Penza region southeast of Moscow, some 500 kilometres from Ukraine, Zelenskyy added.
Russian officials did not confirm the strikes, which could not be independently verified. The Russian Defence Ministry reported intercepting 179 Ukrainian drones over 16 Russian regions, the annexed Crimea and waters of the Azov and the Black Sea.
Penza Governor Oleg Melnichenko said only that downed drone debris damaged a power line and fell on a building under construction.
Almost daily long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities have created a fuel crisis and heaped political pressure on the Kremlin as its full-scale invasion of Ukraine stretches into its fifth year.
On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time that his country was facing a “certain deficit” of fuel, as Ukraine continues to strike energy infrastructure.
“We see the problems, we are aware of them and are responding to them, but we will certainly ensure the security of both the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia’s borders,” Putin said in a speech.
Ukraine says drone strikes slow Russian advance
Ukraine’s domestically developed and manufactured drones and missiles have been hammering Russian oil facilities, including refineries, terminals, storage depots and pipeline pumping stations, for months.
Many regions of Russia, one of the world’s biggest energy producers, have introduced fuel rationing.
Ukraine has developed new weaponry and in recent months has gained an edge, according to Western officials. Its strikes on supply routes behind the front line have robbed the Russian army of momentum on the battlefield, officials and analysts say.
“Russians now have great problems with delivering infantry to the front line and supplying it,” Ukrainian Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov said Wednesday.
Air strikes on Ukraine down
Meanwhile, Russia fired fewer drones and missiles at Ukraine in June compared to a month before, an analysis of Ukrainian air force data by the AFP news agency showed Wednesday, as Kyiv stepped up its own retaliatory attacks on Russia.
Moscow launched 5,749 drones and 180 missiles against Ukraine in June, down 29% and 15% respectively compared to May, following several months of record aerial strikes on its neighbour.
Russia has been pummelling Ukraine with daily barrages of drones and missiles, raining them on Ukrainian civilians and key energy infrastructure throughout the war.
The attacks in June killed civilians in several cities.
One hit a UNESCO-protected monastery in the heart of Kyiv, setting the roof of a landmark cathedral ablaze.
The drop in the overall number of strikes in June came as Ukraine intensified its own attacks against Russia, calling them fair retribution.
Kyiv primarily targets oil processing and exporting facilities, such as refineries, depots and ports, but has also claimed successful attacks on military plants.
Last month it said its forces had struck a plant making key components for Iskander missiles in Russia’s southwestern city of Voronezh, saying the hit would “significantly degrade Russia’s capacity to manufacture new missiles”.
Last week, Zelenskyy said on social media he had approved a 40-day “influence operation” against Russia “aimed at compelling it to end the war.”
Additional sources • AP, AFP