Ukraine launches drone strikes on Russian oil facilities on election eve

Ukraine targeted Russian energy facilities yesterday in one of its largest cross-border drone and rocket attacks of the war, disrupting production at a major oil refinery, as armed groups claimed to have launched a large raid across the border from Ukraine.

- Andrew Roth

The chaotic day in Russia, which also included a military air transport crash that killed all 15 people onboard, came at a sensitive moment as Vladimir Putin sought to project an image of calm and control ahead of presidential elections this weekend.

Ukraine launched dozens of drones at targets in Russia yesterday, with one striking a refinery in the Russian region of Nizhny Novgorod, which produces nearly 6% of Russia's refined crude oil, and another hitting an oil depot in the city of Oryol.

Video on social media showed a major blaze at the Lukoil Norsi oil refinery near Nizhny Novgorod and an industry source told Reuters that the main crude distillation unit at Norsi had been damaged in the attack, disrupting at least half the facility's production.