Ukraine strikes Russian oil sites as tankers burn in Sea of Azov
Ukrainian drones hit oil facilities deep inside Russia, while Moscow and Kyiv traded claims over overnight attacks.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Ukrainian drones struck Russian oil depots and set two tankers on fire in the Sea of Azov, widening Kyiv’s campaign against Russia’s energy infrastructure. The attacks add pressure to a fuel supply problem that official statements and local media reports say has spread across much of Russia.
Drones hit oil depots in Russia’s Tver and Stavropol regions overnight into Thursday, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and AP. In the Sea of Azov, Rostov Governor Yury Slyusar said Ukrainian drones ignited two oil tankers, adding that crews had been evacuated and one vessel was still burning.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his forces also struck several other energy targets inside Russia. He said they hit a reserve fuel storage site about 800km, or 500 miles, from the front line, as well as an oil-pumping station in Ufa nearly 1,500km, or 930 miles, from Ukraine’s border.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces also attacked an oil-loading terminal in the Rostov region, roughly 200km, or 125 miles, from the front. Al Jazeera reported that it was not clear whether that was the same incident described by Slyusar.
Kyiv has increased attacks on Russian oil depots and refineries during the war, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and AP. Official statements and local media reports cited by Al Jazeera say more than 90 percent of Russian regions have either introduced some form of fuel rationing or reported petrol and diesel shortages.
Moscow, one of the world’s top oil producers, has banned a number of exports in response to the fuel pressure, according to Al Jazeera. Zelenskyy described the Ukrainian strikes as “long-range sanctions” in response to Russia’s attacks and its refusal to end the war.
“We have long proposed that Russia end this war, and every day of delay should bring the feeling of war to where it all began – to Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
Russia and Ukraine report overnight attacks
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its air defences shot down 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday into early Thursday. The ministry did not link that figure to specific damage claims in the oil-site attacks.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 94 long-range strike drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight. It said 72 drones were either jammed or intercepted, while 19 drones and both missiles caused damage at 13 locations.
Trump and the Kremlin respond
The strikes followed a meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkiye. Al Jazeera reported that Trump pledged to grant Ukraine a licence to manufacture the Patriot air defence system, a shift from their tense White House meeting in February 2025.
Asked about Ukraine’s attacks inside Russia, Trump said, “It’s an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end.”
The Kremlin rejected the idea that military pressure would produce concessions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the White House was mistaken if it believed escalation could help produce a peace settlement.
“Further escalation may prolong the special military operation to some extent,” Peskov said, using Moscow’s term for the war. He also said Russia could respond by “creating a larger security zone,” which Al Jazeera described as a reference to taking more territory in eastern Ukraine.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.