Ukrainian drone and missile attacks trigger fire at key Russian oil refinery

Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on the southern Rostov region ignited a fire at the critical Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery before being “neutralized,” regional authorities said early Thursday.

“More than three dozen UAVs and three missiles” were launched at several cities and towns in the Rostov region, acting Rostov region Governor Yuri Slyusar said on Telegram, adding that air defense systems “neutralized most of the air targets,” News.Az reports, citing The Moscow Times.

A fire broke out at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery at 2:42 a.m. local time, he said. By 6:45 a.m., Slyusar wrote that the fire was extinguished.

Novoshakhtinsk is considered one of the most important oil refineries in southern Russia. Located around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) east of the border with Ukraine, it is regularly targeted in attacks

Slyusar said one person was wounded in a village near the city of Rostov “due to the fall of drone fragments.”

Russia’s Defense Ministry said early Thursday that it thwarted Kyiv’s attempts “to carry out terrorist attacks using aircraft-type UAVs.”

Air defense systems destroyed more than 80 drones across the country, including 36 over the Rostov region, the Defense Ministry added. It made no mention of the Ukrainian missile strikes.

Russia’s border regions have been hit frequently by Ukrainian fire, with two separate attacks last week targeting Rostov as well as the western Bryansk region, sparking a fire at an oil depot and damaging an industrial facility.

News.Az