Ukraine drone strike halts operations at Russian refinery

A Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire at
an oil refinery in southern Russia, forcing it to halt operations, the
regional governor said early Thursday, adding that there were no casualties.

Dozens of emergency personnel rushed to put out the flames at the
Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the Rostov-on-Don region, according to Governor
Vasily Golubev.

“Following a drone strike, a fire broke out at the Novoshakhtinsk refinery,”
Golubev wrote on Telegram.

“Work was suspended due to a repeated attack, and personnel were withdrawn to
a safe distance,” he added.

He later clarified that the fire had been “localised” to an area of about 100
square metres (1,076 square feet), with no one immediately reported dead or
injured.

The Novoshakhtinsk plant in the Rostov-on-Don region is considered one of the
most important oil refineries in southern Russia. Located around 10
kilometres (six miles) east of the border, it is regularly targeted by
Ukrainian attacks.

Representatives from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and the
regional emergency office headed to the scene of the blaze before dawn on
Thursday, according to Golubev.

Another drone strike overnight destroyed an oil tank at a depot in Stary
Oskol, north of the Ukrainian border, said Belgorod Region Governor
Vyacheslav Gladkov.

That fire was “quickly extinguished” and there were no casualties, he added.

Ukraine, which has been facing a Russian offensive since February 2022,
regularly retaliates by attacking energy sites across the border. (BSS/AFP)