Just a day after a deadly and devastating Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine has claimed responsibility for a counterattack on an oil refinery in the Ryazan region near Moscow. In a statement posted on social media on Saturday, the Ukrainian military said the operation was carried out to reduce the enemy’s missile and aerial strike capabilities. According to the statement, the Ryazan refinery was targeted because it is considered a key infrastructure facility supporting Russia’s military equipment and offensive operations.
A day earlier, on Friday, at least six people were killed and around three dozen others injured in Russia’s large-scale assault on Kyiv. Ukraine expressed deep concern over the attacks on residential buildings, civilian facilities, and various infrastructure. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the assault as a “counteroffensive” by Russia, noting that nearly 430 drones and 18 missiles, including ballistic and aeroballistic types, were used in the strike.
Ukraine’s counterstrike on the Ryazan refinery signals a potential escalation of energy-infrastructure-based attacks between the two countries as winter approaches. Throughout the nearly four-year-long war, both sides have increasingly targeted each other’s energy facilities as part of their strategic operations.
Ukraine’s state-owned power company, Ukrenergo, recently announced that due to damage from Russia’s latest attacks, repairs will take time, prompting controlled blackouts and load-shedding in several regions.
Sources: Al Jazeera, The Guardian.