Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia kill two and cause major fire at oil refinery

Multiple Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia killed two people and set fire to another major oil refinery, despite US warnings to stop targeting such sites.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, wrote on Telegram that two districts in his region, which borders Ukraine, as well as the regional capital, also called Belgorod, had been hit in drone and air attacks.

“It’s shaping up to be a difficult morning,” Mr Gladkov said.

Two people had been killed and at least seven injured, the governor said.

“As a result of an air attack by Ukrainian armed forces on Belgorod, three balconies collapsed in an apartment building. One of these apartments was occupied by a married couple. To much grief, the man died from his injuries on the spot,” he said.

He posted a photo of a residential building with the façade partially destroyed.

Another person was killed in a drone attack on districts outside the city, he said.

Further east, in the Samara region – 620 miles away from the front lines in eastern Ukraine – the local governor reported “several drone attacks” on local oil refineries.

One of them caused a major fire at the Kuibyshev refinery, Dmitry Azarov, the governor of Samara, said in a statement on Telegram, noting that there were no casualties.

Oil refineries ‘legitimate targets’

Ukraine said on Friday that Russian oil refineries were legitimate targets, despite reports that the US has been warning it to halt drone strikes amid fears they could hinder Joe Biden’s re-election chances.

There have been at least nine attacks on major Russian refineries this year, which have caused crude oil prices to jump in recent weeks.

The refinery, run by the Russian oil giant Rosneft, is one of the largest in the region, with a production capacity of seven million tons per year, according to its official website.

A drone attack on another refinery in the region, Novokuibyshevsk, “was repelled without damaging the technological equipment”, Mr Azarov said.

‘Retaliatory’ attacks

The attacks came 24 hours after Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial barrages of the two-year conflict, hitting dozens of Ukrainian energy sites and leaving more than a million temporarily without power.

Ukraine’s air force said it had downed 31 of 34 Russian drones fired at its territory overnight, while Russia’s defence ministry said it had intercepted 12 Ukrainian drones.

Ukraine, which has been facing a Russian offensive for more than two years, has stepped up its attacks inside Russia in recent weeks, targeting energy sites in particular.

And Russia has also launched a barrage of what it calls “retaliatory” attacks, targeting Ukraine’s energy sector and the capital, Kyiv, in recent days.