Ukraine Targets Russia’s Key Oil Infrastructure with Drone Strikes

Ukraine announced on Thursday that it has intensified its drone strikes, targeting key Russian oil facilities and field artillery infrastructure. This initiative is part of ongoing military efforts to weaken Russia’s capabilities in the conflict.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces revealed that following a successful attack on an oil depot in Russia’s Rostov province on Wednesday morning, Ukrainian forces struck an oil storage facility in the Kirov region. This facility is located northeast of Moscow, over 900 miles inside Russian territory. Additionally, an artillery ammunition dump in the Rossosh district of the Voronezh region, approximately 35 miles from the Ukrainian border, was also targeted in the operations.

In a statement shared via social media, the Ukrainian General Staff confirmed the strikes and reported significant explosions and fires at the Atlas oil depot in Rostov. However, the full extent of the damage at the Rostov depot, as well as the facilities in Kirov and Voronezh, is still being assessed.

These missions were executed by special operations forces alongside the Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry, in collaboration with various branches of the military. The operations primarily targeted the Rostov plant located near the Luhansk province, which is currently under Russian control, as well as the Kirov facility, both of which play crucial roles in supplying the Russian armed forces.

Local Russian media reported that powerful explosions were heard at the Rostov plant late Wednesday, indicating that firefighters were still engaged in battling fires from the earlier drone attacks.

The Governor of Kirov, Alexander Sokolov, confirmed that a blaze occurred near the Zenit oil products depot in Kotelnich. This fire was triggered when three out of five drones targeting the facility were intercepted by Russian air defenses and fell nearby.

The Kyiv Independent cited a source stating that the Zenit oil depot serves as a critical resource for the Russian military-industrial complex, supplying fuel to Russian occupation forces. This underscores the ongoing strategic significance of such facilities in the broader conflict.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces expressed its commitment to continue these strikes as part of broader efforts to diminish the military and economic capabilities of Russian forces and to counter their aggression against Ukraine.

According to reports by the BBC’s Russian service, Ukraine has conducted at least 64 drone strikes targeting Russian refineries, storage units, and other critical oil infrastructure, whether situated within Russia or in regions occupied by Russian troops in Ukraine.

These growing attacks form part of Ukraine’s strategic approach to weaken the supply chains that support the Russian military operations, indicating a shift in the conflict as Ukraine seeks to assert its military strength and resilience in the face of ongoing aggression.

As the situation evolves, both sides continue to adapt and react, which suggests that strategic operations will likely escalate in the coming days as Ukraine aims to disrupt further the military logistics supporting Russian forces in the region.

This development highlights the increasing intensity of the conflict, focusing not just on ground battles but also on strategic infrastructure that is vital for military operations. The implications of these strikes may have far-reaching consequences for the ongoing war and for the dynamics of military power within the region.

Source: UPI