A fire ravaged a major Russian oil refinery after a barrage of drones.
Ukraine’s military hit a Russian oil refinery in a nighttime drone strike, humiliating Russian President Vladimir Putin as he battles a deepening oil crisis.
A fire ravaged the Volgograd oil refinery, owned by Lukoil, following the nighttime attack, according to eyewitness footage and videos reviewed by independent Russian media outlet Astra. Regional Governor Andrei Bocharov said four employees in the city’s southern industrial zone were killed and two others injured.
A fire has ravaged the Volgograd oil refinery, owned by Lukoil, photos are circulating on social networks. media broadcast.
The refinery is one of the ten largest in Russia, with a processing capacity of around 14 million tonnes of crude oil per year, or around 5% of the country’s total refining capacity.
The attack came hours after U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff landed in Moscow on Thursday for new talks with Putin, as Trump seeks to end the conflict that began nearly five years ago.
It also follows questions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Trump administration about crippling disruptions to a military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network that kyiv’s military uses to intercept drones from Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, center, with US envoys Jared Kushner (left) and businessman Steve Witkoff (right), in Dublin.
PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images
Zelensky reported “significant disruptions” to Starshield operations over the past few days. These disruptions have severely hampered Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian forces and drone attacks.
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Speed limits were already imposed on Starshield terminals in October, amid allegations that Musk personally ordered the restrictions.
Bocharov said falling debris from drones caused the fire.
“Due to falling debris from the drone, localized fires were recorded at a factory located in the southern industrial zone of Volgograd, as well as in the adjacent area,” Bocharov said in a Telegram statement.
The attack deals a new blow to Putin as kyiv steps up attacks on Russia’s crucial energy infrastructure, more than four years after the start of the war.
Ukraine’s relentless campaign has strained Russia’s ability to produce enough fuel to meet domestic demand, despite the country being one of the world’s largest oil producers. Wholesale fuel prices rose, authorities introduced rationing in some areas and images on social media showed motorists queuing for fuel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is grappling with a worsening oil crisis as Ukraine undermines its oil refineries.
Sergei Bulkin/via REUTERS
Oil exports and Russia’s energy industry as a whole account for about 30 percent of the government’s budget revenues and remain critical to financing Moscow’s war effort.
Videos shared by Astra showed drivers queuing to fill up early Friday morning.
“It’s 2 a.m. What’s going on over there, Volgograd? Has it started again?” » asked a resident in a video.
The latest attack comes as Ukraine has struck nine of Russia’s 35 major refineries since the end of October. Industry sources told Reuters that daily crude processing had fallen by about 30%, from around 700,000 tonnes in late October to 500,000 in mid-November.
Putin had previously threatened retaliation after previous Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure.
“They hit our people and they will get a response,” Putin said in September, after announcing he had ordered Russian forces to prepare large-scale strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities.
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