In an attack that severely damaged a significant oil refinery and attempted to breach the land borders of the largest nuclear power in the world using armed proxies, Ukraine bombarded targets in Russia on Tuesday with dozens of drones and rockets.
In their more than two-year conflict, Russia and Ukraine have both utilized drones to target vital infrastructure, military locations, and troop concentrations; in recent months, Kyiv has targeted Russian energy and refineries.
According to Russia, there have been at least seven attempts by Ukrainian proxies to enter the Russian border, which Russian forces have repulsed. Russia has refuted the allegation made by the Ukrainian proxies speaking Russian that they have crossed the border.
Moscow claimed to have shot down 25 Ukrainian drones over areas including Moscow, Leningrad, Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Tula, and Oryol in one of the largest drone attacks on Russia to date. Drone assaults persisted throughout the day, according to the ministry of defense.
Attacks on energy-related facilities were reported by Russian officials, including a fire at Lukoil’s (LKOH.MM) opens new tab NORSI refinery and the destruction of a drone near the town of Kirishi, which is home to Russia’s second-largest oil refinery.
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The governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Gleb Nikitin, stated emergency services were attempting to put out a fire at the NORSI refinery in a post that included an image of a fire engine.
“Unmanned aerial vehicles attacked a fuel and energy complex facility,” Nikitin posted on Telegram.
At least half of the refinery’s output has been stopped because of damage to the main crude distillation unit (AVT-6) at NORSI, industry sources told Reuters under condition of anonymity. Lukoil chose not to respond.
Industry sources estimate that NORSI refines around 15.8 million tonnes of Russian crude annually, or 5.8% of all refined crude.
Industry sources state that it refines around 4.9 million tonnes of gasoline (11% of Russia’s total), 6.4% of diesel fuel, 5.6% of fuel oil, and 7.4% of aviation fuel.
STRIKING ENERGY IN RUSSSIA
President Vladimir Putin is facing challenges from the West over Ukraine, and he is concerned about striking Russian oil infrastructure since domestic gasoline prices are vulnerable ahead of the March 15–17 presidential election.
On March 1, Russia banned the export of gasoline for six months.
Russia possesses enormous energy reserves, as do Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. However, since oil was found in the wilds of Western Siberia in the 1960s, Russia has frequently relied on Western technology to extract and refine its petroleum.
The Russian military was carrying out all required actions, according to the Kremlin, and its “military operation” in Ukraine would not end.
Since the start of the war, Russia claims to have destroyed over 15,000 drones launched by the Ukrainians.
ATTACK BORDER
Following reports from armed groups headquartered in Ukraine that they had conducted cross-border raids, Russia said that its forces had stopped incursions from Ukraine in the western Belgorod and Kursk districts and severely damaged the assailants.
“Ukrainian terrorist formations, supported by tanks and armoured combat vehicles, attempted to invade the territory of the Russian Federation simultaneously,” according to the Russian defense ministry.
At least two armed organizations operating out of Ukraine that claim to be composed of Russians against the Kremlin announced on Tuesday that they had crossed Russia’s western border.
Although Moscow claims the militias are puppets of the US Central Intelligence Agency and the Ukrainian military, it denied that the organizations had crossed into Russian territory, claiming there had been multiple attacks along the border.
According to the Federal Security Service (FSB), which was reported by the TASS news agency, Russian military fought off attempted incursions by destroying numerous armored vehicles and killing 100 people.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, eight RM-70 rockets and one Tochka-U missile were fired by Ukraine towards the Belgorod region.
Editing by Jan Harvey, Andrew Osborn, Barbara Lewis, and Lincoln Feast; reporting by Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne
