Ukrainian strikes start fires at oil facilities in Russia and Crimea

Ukrainian forces struck oil facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea, Ukrainian and Russian officials said, as part of Kyiv’s campaign to make Moscow pay an economic price for the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine’s General Staff said forces had struck Russia’s Krasnodar Krai region overnight, hitting the Grushovaya oil transshipment base near Novorossiysk.

The complex is one of the largest transshipment hubs in southern Russia for oil and petroleum products.

Russian regional authorities confirmed a Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at the facility, adding that there were no casualties.

While they did not comment on the extent of damage, they said 130 rescue workers were involved in putting out the blaze.

Asked whether the Kremlin is worried about the fuel crisis in occupied Crimea, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Energy Ministry and other agencies are working on a set of measures to respond to the situation.

“There are indeed certain problems at the moment,” Peskov said. “Measures are being taken.”

The Krasny Yar “linear production and dispatching station” in the Volgograd region was also hit, the General Staff said.

A fire broke out at the site, according to the statement. Russian Governor Andrei Bocharov didn’t specify what the facility produces, but said there were no injuries.

Ukraine also carried out strikes overnight in the Semykolodezkaya oil base in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula on Sunday night, sparking a fire at the facility.

The base is used to store fuel reserves supplying the Russian military, according to the statement posted on Telegram.

Ukrainian forces also struck an oil depot near Feodosia in Crimea, the General Staff said.

Strikes near Kharkiv

Russian strikes killed three people and wounded 10 others in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, its governor said early on Tuesday.

“The enemy has hit the city of Chuguiv,” Kharkiv regional governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on Telegram, adding that three people had been killed.

“The strikes caused fires and damaged at least 18 vehicles; windows were blown out and building facades damaged in residential multi-storey buildings,” Synegubov said.

Separately, Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov reported 10 people were wounded in his city.

Daily Russian attacks that claim civilian lives have intensified in recent months and Ukraine has hit back with its own drone strikes further into Russian territory, saying these are mainly against military and energy facilities.

According to a UN estimate published in April, at least 15,850 civilians have been killed in Ukrainian zones since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

More than 2,800 civilians have died in Russian-controlled zones, according to the UN toll, which added that more than 44,800 have been wounded in Ukrainian and Russian-occupied zones.

Sanctions on Russia

Meanwhile, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said a new proposed round of sanctions against Russia includes 80 listings targeting Russia’s “military industrial complex, human rights violators and propagandists.”

Kaja Kallas told a news conference after a meeting of EU defence ministers on Monday that Western sanctions have already cost Moscow an estimated $1.2-1.5 trillion (€1.04-1.3).

Additional sources • AP, AFP

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