[ad_1]
(Bloomberg) — Ukraine came under heavy fire from Russian missiles overnight targeting gas infrastructure and other targets, while a drone strike hit a Russian oil refinery.
Moscow reported a Ukrainian drone attack on the Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, the first such attack since earlier this month.
State news agency TASS said the strike caused a fire, partially suspending refinery operations. Tass quoted a representative of the refinery as saying that the plant was attacked by 10 drones. Russia’s Defense Ministry said 66 drones were intercepted and shot down in the Krasnodar region.
According to a person with knowledge of the operation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, UAVs of the Security Service of Ukraine targeted the Kushchevsk military airfield and the Slavyansk and Ilsky refineries in the Krasnodar region. Russian officials and media have not mentioned the Ilski facility.
The Slavyansk refinery is capable of processing 4 million tons of oil per year and is one of the closest facilities to the war zone in eastern Ukraine. Earlier in March, it was targeted by drones along with several other large Russian refineries. Some affected facilities are still processing less than before the attacks.
The US warned Ukraine that attacks on Russian oil refineries were impacting global energy markets and urged Kiev to focus on military targets. The most recent drone attack on a Russian oil refinery occurred on April 2.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, about 21 Russian missiles of various types were intercepted overnight out of 34, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram. Poland’s military twice used jets when Russian missiles flew near its border.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that the recent attacks, including an overnight barrage, had targeted energy and defense facilities and railway infrastructure in response to Kiev’s efforts to “damage Russian energy and industrial facilities”.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for additional air-defense systems from Ukraine’s allies.
“The world has all the resources to help us stop every missile and drone,” Zelensky said on Twitter. “There is simply a need to implement the necessary political decisions and agreements.”
Read more: Russian forces on the move as Ukraine awaits fresh US weapons
National grid operator Ukranergo said in a statement on Facebook that the targets fired upon by Kremlin troops included energy facilities in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions in the west and the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine.
State-run Naftogaz said gas infrastructure was attacked but service to customers and Ukrainian consumers was not disrupted.
“The attacks on power plants in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro, Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk left thousands of Ukrainians in the dark,” US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on Twitter. Kharkiv Hospital.”
Separately, Der Spiegel magazine reported that Ukraine has asked Germany for an additional 812 Vector surveillance drones, 212 of which the government in Berlin has already provided.
The vertical take-off and landing drones are manufactured by Munich-based company Quantum-Systems GmbH, which this month opened a second facility in Ukraine in a ceremony attended by Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habach.
– With assistance from Ian Rogers.
(Updated with Russian Defense Ministry in 8th paragraph.)
More stories like this are available on Bloomberg.com
©2024 Bloomberg LP
Unlock a world of benefits! From informative newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and personalized newsfeeds – it’s all here, just a click away! log in now!
Watch all business news, market news, breaking news events and latest news updates on Live Mint. Download Mint News app to get daily market updates.
more less
Published: April 27, 2024, 11:31 PM IST
[ad_2]
