This Saturday (18), Ukrainian forces carried out several drone attacks against Russian oil infrastructure, including refineries, a warehouse in Crimea and a port on the Baltic Sea, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials cited by Reuters.
According to the agency, the attacks hit two refineries in the Samara region, in the cities of Novokuibyshevsk and Syzran, as well as an oil terminal in the port of Vysotsk, in the Leningrad region, near Saint Petersburg. This port is used to export derivatives such as diesel and naphtha, and is operated by Lukoil.
Regional governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that “a fire was extinguished” in the port of Vysotsk, without providing further details about damage.
On the Ukrainian side, the commander of the drone forces, Robert Brovdi, confirmed the attacks and wrote, ironically, in a message cited by Reuters: “Make Russian Oil Great Again”.
In the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia, local authorities indicated that 22 drones were shot down over the city of Sevastopol, with damage and a fire in a fuel tank recorded. Brovdi stated that the target was precisely an oil deposit.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, considered essential for financing Moscow’s war effort. According to Brovdi, a series of recent attacks on oil logistics facilities have reduced daily exports by around 880,000 barrels, although this number has not been independently confirmed.
Additionally, the Ukrainian security service (SBU) claimed to have hit two Russian landing ships and a warship based in Crimea.
Also in the Russian region of Krasnodar, local authorities indicated that fires had been extinguished at oil installations in Tikhoretsk and the port of Tuapse, which had been burning since Thursday and were believed to have been caused by Ukrainian drone attacks.
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