Ukrainian drones struck an oil tanker at the port of Taganrog and an oil depot in southern Russia overnight on Saturday, triggering fires as Kyiv intensified attacks on Moscow's energy infrastructure during the fifth year of the war, Russian authorities said.
Officials in Russia's Rostov and Krasnodar regions said the attacks caused damage but no casualties. Moscow also claimed that two people were killed separately in the border Belgorod region during Ukrainian drone strikes and cross-border attacks.
Attack on Taganrog Port
Yuri Slyusar, governor of the Rostov region, said the oil tanker at the port city of Taganrog was hit during a large overnight drone assault. "No fuel oil leaks have been reported. There are no casualties," Slyusar said on Telegram, adding that firefighters had extinguished the blaze. He said around 50 drones were intercepted over the Rostov region during the night. Taganrog lies near eastern Ukraine and the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, making it a strategically significant logistics and industrial hub for southern Russia.
Oil Terminal Fire in Krasnodar Region
Authorities in the neighbouring Krasnodar region said a drone strike also sparked a fire at an oil terminal in the city of Armavir. Regional officials said emergency crews were deployed to contain the blaze and reported no casualties from the attack. The latest strikes form part of a broader Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian oil and energy facilities, which Kyiv views as crucial to funding Moscow's military operations.
Ukraine's Expanding Drone Campaign
Ukraine has significantly increased the range and frequency of its drone operations in recent months, with attacks reaching deep into Russian territory, including areas near the Ural Mountains. Kyiv has repeatedly targeted refineries, fuel depots, oil terminals and other energy infrastructure in an effort to disrupt Russian supply chains and impose economic costs on Moscow. Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out near-daily drone raids on border and southern regions as the conflict continues with no breakthrough in fighting.
War Enters Fifth Year
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has evolved into Europe's deadliest conflict since the Second World War. The war has resulted in heavy military and civilian casualties on both sides, while drone warfare has become an increasingly central feature of the conflict, with both countries using long-range strikes to target infrastructure far from the frontline.
