Russian drone attacks overnight in several Ukrainian cities killed two people and wounded at least 11 others, authorities said on Wednesday, as another fire was reported at a refinery deep inside Russia.
Two people were killed by Russian attacks in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, regional military administration chief Olexander Hanzha said on Telegram. Six people were injured. Residential buildings, a food depot, and cars were damaged.
In the north-eastern Sumy region, several buildings were hit in the city of Konotop, regional military governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Telegram. At least six people were injured.
Ukrainian media cited Konotop Mayor Artem Semenikhin as saying that a shortage of ambulances meant some of the wounded were being transported to hospitals in private vehicles. A museum was also damaged in the attack.
In the southern port city of Odessa, multi-storey residential buildings and vehicles were damaged, local military administration head Serhiy Lysak said. One building was destroyed. No information on casualties was initially available.
The Ukrainian gas supplier Naftogaz also reported that its infrastructure in the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine had been attacked for the fourth day in a row.
Dnipro and Odessa have frequently come under Russian missile and drone attacks since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.
Ukrainian drones hit major refinery
In the latest of a series of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries in recent weeks, a major facility was attacked in the town of Kstovo on the Volga River.
The governor of Nizhny Novgorod province, Gleb Nikitin, said "debris caused damage and a fire at two industrial objects in Kstovo district."
Telegram channels posted videos from witnesses purportedly showing a fire at the refinery, which is owned by Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil company, and is one of the 10 largest in the country.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported an attack on the facility on Tuesday. For months, Ukraine has been attacking refineries, pumping stations and export ports belonging to the Russian oil industry. The aim is to disrupt the enemy’s fuel supply, with the loss of export revenue intended to deplete the Kremlin’s war chest.
According to the Defence Ministry in Moscow, a wave of Ukrainian attacks once again swept across large areas of western and central Russia. The ministry said 273 enemy drones were shot down.
In St Petersburg and the surrounding area, the civil defence authorities warned citizens of the danger posed by drones, the TASS news agency reported. Due to the drones in the air, many Russian airports had to temporarily restrict their operations.
