Russian drone attack in Ukraine after oil refinery targeted
The latest incident occurred at the Ilsky Refinery near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk as Russia continues to launch dozens of drone strikes.
Russia blames Ukraine for setting one of its oil refineries on fire, while Kiev accuses Moscow of carrying out dozens of nighttime attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles for the second day in a row.
The targeting of the fuel facility on Thursday occurred at the Ilsky refinery near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar region, Russia’s TASS news agency reported citing local emergency services. A fuel tank was on fire, it said, but gave no further details.
A day earlier, a fuel depot further west caught fire near a bridge connecting mainland Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula.
“A second turbulent night for our emergency services,” Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev wrote on Telegram, confirming that tanks of oil products had been set on fire.
There were no casualties and the fire was extinguished, he said.
The alleged attack came just hours after Russia accused Kiev of targeting the Kremlin with a drone strike. Moscow accused Kiev of trying to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, the most dramatic charge Russia has brought against Ukraine since it invaded Ukraine.
Kiev rarely claims responsibility for what Moscow says are frequent drone strikes against infrastructure and military targets, particularly in regions close to Russia.
Moscow blamed Ukraine for an April 29 attack that set fire to an oil depot in Sevastopol. Kiev’s military says undermining Russian logistics is part of preparations for a long-awaited counter-offensive.
Drone attacks
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Thursday that Russia was responsible for up to 24 drone strikes in the night, 18 of which were shot down.
“The invaders launched up to 24 Shahed-136/131 attack drones… The Air Force of Ukraine, in cooperation with other air defense units, shot down 18 attack drones,” the air force said on Telegram.
The latest explosions were reported less than 24 hours after Kiev said 21 people were killed in a Russian attack on the city of Kherson.
Zelensky in the Netherlands
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived late Wednesday at Amsterdam airport for an unannounced visit to the Netherlands, with a trip to the International Criminal Court in The Hague on his agenda, local media reported.
The Dutch news agency ANP said Zelenskyy landed at Schiphol on his first visit to the Netherlands after attending a Nordic summit in Helsinki.
The Ukrainian president is also expected to deliver a speech in The Hague entitled “No peace without justice for Ukraine,” according to public broadcaster NOS.
A meeting with Dutch MPs is planned, as well as talks with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the ANP reports based on unnamed sources.
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the Netherlands has pledged financial and military support to Ukraine.