Ukrainian drone strikes sparked several fires in Russia overnight, regional officials said on Wednesday.
Ukraine targeted a gas processing plant in the Astrakhan region on the Caspian Sea, Governor Igor Babushkin said on Telegram, adding that falling debris caused a fire but no injuries were reported.
A separate blaze broke out at a factory in the settlement of Volna in the Temryuksky district of the southern Krasnodar region, according to civil defence authorities. One person was reported injured. Another person was hurt and several sites were damaged in nearby Taman, where drone debris also fell. The port is used for the transhipment of oil and liquefied natural gas.
In the city of Yaroslavl, north-east of Moscow, drone debris crashed into an industrial site, Governor Mikhail Yevrayev reported, without providing any details. The city’s refinery has been the target of Ukrainian attacks on several occasions.
The Ministry of Defence in Moscow announced on Wednesday morning that air defences had intercepted 286 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the annexed Crimean Peninsula during the night.
The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed strikes on an oil refinery in Yaroslavl and a factory in Astrakhan, saying the refinery plays a key role in supplying fuel to the Russian military, while the Astrakhan facility supports Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than four years with Western assistance.
Kiev’s counter-attacks on the Russian oil and gas sector are becoming increasingly visible. Ukraine aims to reduce Moscow’s revenues from the energy sector, which are vital for financing the war of aggression.
