Ukraine Strikes Russian Oil Refineries as Drone War Escalates Before Victory Day
AOL.com reported Friday that Ukraine carried out a sweeping overnight drone and missile campaign targeting Russian energy infrastructure, striking two major oil refineries and a fuel pumping station deep inside Russia.
The attacks added further strain to Russian refinery operations that had already slumped to multi-year lows in April. The strikes form part of a sustained Ukrainian strategy to erode Moscow’s fuel production capacity and cut the revenues financing its war effort.
Moscow Under Pressure as Victory Day Approaches
The energy strikes were not the only headline from the assault. Drones also hit an upmarket residential tower in southwest Moscow, roughly ten kilometres from the Kremlin. No casualties were reported. Two additional drones were intercepted before reaching their targets, according to city officials.
Russian air defences intercepted more than 117 drones across multiple regions between Sunday and Monday. St Petersburg alone absorbed sixty attempted strikes in what regional authorities described as a massive coordinated attack.
Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports suspended flights overnight as a precaution, disrupting civilian air traffic in the Moscow region.
Background: Ukraine’s Long-Range Drone Strategy
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has steadily built a fleet of long-range drones capable of reaching targets hundreds of miles beyond the front lines. Energy infrastructure has become a primary focus. Refineries, pumping stations, and oil tankers have all been targeted in an effort to constrain Russian export revenues and military logistics.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky separately confirmed that three Russian oil tankers, a cruise-missile carrier warship, and a patrol boat were struck in attacks on two separate Russian ports. He identified the tankers as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, assembled to circumvent Western sanctions.
Ceasefire Posturing Fails to Pause the Fighting
Ahead of Saturday’s scaled-back Victory Day parade on Red Square, Moscow unilaterally declared a temporary ceasefire for May 8 and 9. Zelensky dismissed the gesture as not serious, saying Kyiv had received no formal proposal.
Russia, for its part, threatened a large-scale retaliatory strike on central Kyiv if Ukraine moved to disrupt the celebrations. Mobile internet service in Moscow was restricted for much of the week, Russian media reported, in what officials framed as a security measure.
Meanwhile, Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities continued without pause. Ukrainian authorities said four people were killed and eighteen injured in a missile strike near Kharkiv on Monday.
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