KYIV: Ukraine said it struck Rosneft's Saratov oil refinery and the Engels air base in Russia overnight, intensifying its campaign against Russia's fuel and military infrastructure. Ukraine's General Staff said the attack sparked a fire at the Saratov refinery and also targeted the Engels air base, a key operating hub for Tu-95 long-range strategic bombers used in cruise missile strikes against Ukraine.
Russian regional authorities said civilian infrastructure in Saratov and Engels was damaged in the attack, which killed two people. Satellite imagery from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System showed fresh heat anomalies at the Saratov refinery on Sunday, indicating possible active fires.
On Friday, Ukraine targeted one of Russia's largest refineries, while on Saturday it struck facilities in Ufa, home to three Bashneft refineries in Bashkortostan.
Earlier on Sunday, another large drone attack caused a fire at an industrial site in Ufa, according to Bashkortostan Governor Radiy Khabirov, who did not provide further details.
The renewed attacks threaten to disrupt Russia's fuel supplies just as several regions had begun easing restrictions on gasoline and diesel sales imposed during recent shortages. The Saratov refinery, with a crude processing capacity of about 140,000 barrels per day, had resumed operations after being hit in an earlier Ukrainian strike on July 8.
Russia Strikes Mykolaiv Port
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Sunday its forces had struck infrastructure and two vessels carrying military cargo at Ukraine's Mykolaiv port, as well as another military supply vessel in the Black Sea.
