Ukraine Sends Volley Drone to Russia, Hits Oil Refinery

Ukraine shot down an explosive drone in Russia on Friday, according to Ukrainian officials and the Russian military, in a barrage that set fire to oil refineries and gas stations and temporarily shut down several airports, including many serve Moscow.

The attack was the latest and one of the biggest in Ukraine’s campaign to disrupt Russian military logistics and pressure the country’s economy by hitting its main source of revenue. money of Moscow.

A fleet of Ukrainian drones, which are similar to small planes and have a range of about 1,000 miles, have attacked Russian refineries and factories at least 17 times this year, and dozens more in 2024. the production of drones in Ukraine last year and is now common. shoot a big volley.

Russian social media posts showed the fire that broke out early Friday at a large refinery in Ryazan, a city about 110 miles southeast of Moscow.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued a statement that the military and intelligence services coordinated the drone attack and hit the oil refinery and gas station in Ryazan, starting the fire. . In the nearby Bryansk region, the statement said, a Ukrainian drone struck an electronics factory that manufactures lines for warplanes and missiles, including two models of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Russian, the Topol-M and Bulava.

In all, the Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down 121 Ukrainian drones in 11 Russian regions plus Crimea and Moscow between Thursday and Friday night.

Oil rigs, in particular, are a frequent target for Ukraine. Russia for the past two decades has invested heavily in refineries, aiming to value the oil industry by exporting gasoline, diesel and jet fuel in addition to kerosene. Many of the testing facilities are within the range of Ukrainian drones. And because of its flammable location, small valleys can put out fires.

The attack complements Western sanctions that have cut off Russian oil revenues, although trade remains strong to boost the economy and finance the war effort. President Trump used a video speech at the Davos economic forum on Thursday to stress the importance of cutting Russia’s oil revenues in ending the war.

“If the price went down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately,” he said, adding that he would ask Saudi Arabia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to act to reduce the price of Russian oil.

The head of the presidential office of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, also emphasized the importance of lowering oil prices. “Hard losses and a reduction in the price of a barrel of Russian oil is the way to global security,” he said in the telegram channel. “We fully support US President Donald Trump in his desire to lower oil prices.”

A video posted online by Russians showed a large fire burning in Ryazan. The head of the region, Pavel Malkov, announced the airstrikes in the city but did not specify the target. A military blogger who goes by the name Rybar published a list of other areas hit, citing local officials.

In online posts, residents of the city of Ryazan, which has a population of about 500,000, wrote criticism of local authorities, saying that heat and electricity had been cut off. There was no immediate information about the casualties.

In Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in an article on the Telegram channel that the Russian Air Force had brought down four drones in the capital. Three Moscow airports and at least seven regional airports were suspended during the attack, according to Russia’s Federal Aviation Administration.

Russian drones also attacked Ukraine from Thursday to Friday, killing three people in different locations near Kyiv, Kyiv regional government chief Mykola Kalashnyk said in a statement. a statement. A 10-story building was badly damaged.

On Friday morning, the Ukrainian Air Force also reported attempted airstrikes in central and western Ukraine, including one targeting the Ukrainian Air Force base in Starokonstantyniv, in the Khmelnytskyi region. a frequent target for Russian drones. There were no reports of damage or loss of life at the space station.

Andrew E. Kramer and Nataliia Novosolova contributed reporting from Kyiv, and Ivan Nechepurenko from Tbilisi, Georgia.