AP
Kyiv
Ukrainian forces hit two of Russia’s biggest oil refineries overnight in its latest long-range strikes, officials said, as Kyiv deepened its economic, military and diplomatic pressure on Moscow.
Ukraine’s almost daily long-range drone and missile strikes using domestically developed weapons have battered Russian oil facilities for months. The operation has brought a fuel crisis that is embarrassing the Kremlin more than four years after Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbour.
The overnight attacks started fires at a Lukoil refinery in Russia’s Perm region, more than 1,500 kilometres (900 miles) from Ukraine, and a refinery in Ryazan, about 400 kilometres (180 miles) from the border, Ukraine’s Security Service and General Staff said in separate statements.
The refineries have a combined annual production capacity of around 30 million tons of oil, according to Ukraine, and make a vital contribution to Russia’s military effort and its government revenue.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify the claims. Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said only that six people were taken to the hospital after a drone attack. He said drone debris caused fires at unidentified “industrial sites.”
Russian online retailer Wildberries, a major supplier likened to Amazon that Ukraine has targeted in recent days, said it evacuated employees from a facility in Ryazan but provided no further details.
Russia has sophisticated air defences, but its vast territory is hard to comprehensively cover.
The attacks came hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington on Tuesday for talks with US President Donald Trump to push for more vital American help for Ukraine’s fight against its much bigger enemy.
“Russia must feel that every day of this war will only come at a higher cost for it. We need to weaken the aggressor and keep up the pressure to bring an end to this war closer,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
Ukraine’s recent high-profile successes against Russia have impressed Washington and helped restore US goodwill after Trump’s reluctance at the start of his second term to keep supporting Kyiv. That stance had raised the spectre of Ukraine and Europe having to stand up to Russian aggression alone.
