Ukraine has attacked approximately 160 refineries, pumping stations and other facilities of the Russian oil industry since the beginning of the year, Ukrainian security service chief Vasyl Malyuk said on Friday.
In September and October, 20 facilities were attacked, the head of the SBU intelligence service said in Kiev. “These include six oil refineries, two oil terminals, three oil depots and nine oil pumping stations,” Malyuk was quoted as saying by the news agency Interfax-Ukraine.
According to Malyuk’s estimates, the Russian market is short of about one-fifth of the oil products it needs. He said that the oil-processing capacities have been reduced by 37%.
Calculations by experts in the oil industry also arrive at approximately the same figures.
Malyuk said that Ukraine targets the Russian oil economy because it finances the lion’s share of the Russian defence budget.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for sanctions on a further 340 tankers of the so-called shadow fleet. The ships are used to export Russian oil while circumventing existing restrictions. Zelensky estimated that Russia could have a total of over 1,500 such ships under various flags.
Russia launched a “massive” overnight attack on Ukraine’s southern and central regions, authorities said, as Kyiv struck Russian oil refineries.
One woman was killed in Zaporizhzhia and 28 people were injured – including three children – according to local officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow launched over 500 drones and 45 missiles, hitting 14 regions across the country.
Following the attack Russia’s defence ministry said in statement all “targets of the strike have been achieved” and “designated objects have been hit”.
It comes amid ongoing international efforts to secure peace – and days after Ukraine faced the second biggest aerial attack of the war so far, with a least 23 killed on Thursday.
In Dnipropetrovsk, Governor Serhiy Lysak said overnight the region was “under massive attack” as he warned people to take cover.
Firefighters tackled blazes in Zaporizhzia in the early hours of Saturday morning [STATE EMERGENCY SERVICE OF UKRAINE]
Railway infrastructure was damaged near Kyiv, but it was central and south-eastern Ukraine that bore the brunt of the latest strikes.
Emergency services were seen putting out fires in Zaporizhzhia, while explosions were heard in the central eastern regions of Dnipro and Pavlohrad.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said it hit Russia’s Krasnodar and Syzran oil refineries overnight. Both refineries have been targeted before.
The Ukrainian military said there were “numerous explosions and fires were recorded at the facility,” which they said produces a volume of three million tons per year.
Russian authorities in Krasnodar acknowledged the drone strikes from Kyiv hit its oil refinery. It said one of the process units was damaged and a fire occurred in the area. It said there were no casualties.
The Russian defence ministry added it had shot down 20 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 18 over Moscow-annexed Crimea.
The Russian military also said it captured a rural settlement in Donetsk – Komyshevakha on Saturday morning. Ukraine has not confirmed this.
The blows between the warring sides follow US-led diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing an end to the war, which so far remain at a standstill.
Zelensky said the latest attacks showed Russia’s “disregard for words”, adding that the only way to deal with Russia is to impose sanctions.
“We expect action from the US, Europe, and the entire world,” he said.
European foreign affairs ministers are in Denmark this weekend to discuss international developments – including the war in Ukraine.
One of the key issues is the possibility of freezing approximately €210bn (£181.7bn) worth of Russian assets.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas who is at the gathering said it is clear “Russia does not want peace” despite diplomatic efforts.
France said it would use the gathering to table new proposals for sanctions against Russia, with the aim of depleting “the resources that Russia is investing in this war” foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot was quoted by Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass as saying.