Russian Oil Refinery Hit By Drone As Missiles Pound Ukraine

Ukraine reported widespread missile attacks overnight by Russia including a strike in the Donetsk region that killed at least 12 people, while Russian officials said a major oil refinery near St. Petersburg was hit by a drone. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the latest strikes showed Moscow's objectives in its invasion of Ukraine are “unchanged,” despite signals the Kremlin may be willing to accept a temporary truce. 

Drones targeted the Kinef oil refinery in the Kirishi district of St. Petersburg, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of the Ukrainian border. The strike damaged the external structure of one of the tanks at the facility, local governor Alexander Drozdenko said in a Telegram post on Saturday. 

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent months, attempting to degrade a major source of revenue for Moscow and curtail fuel supplies to its military forces.

Kinef, which is owned by Surgutneftegas, is one of the largest oil refineries in Russia with an annual capacity of over 20 million tons per year. The Russian Defense Ministry said Russia was targeted with 31 drones overnight, with the majority in the Krasnodar region in the south, without specifying the damage.

Russian Strikes

Moscow's forces continue to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure, including its power grid, even as the Kremlin engages in talks with the US on a possible path to ending the war. 

Russia struck several regions overnight after one of its largest attacks to date on Ukraine's energy infrastructure on Friday. 

Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said that industrial and service facilities, as well as residential buildings, were damaged in the Black Sea city, Ukraine's third largest. Energy targets have been attacked seven times in the past three weeks, he said. 

Strikes were conducted in other regions across Ukraine with at least 12 people killed in Dobropillya, in the Donetsk region, according to local authorities. Rescue efforts continue. 

A Russian drone strike on a meat processing plant in Kharkiv oblast killed three people and injured seven, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram. 

In all, Kremlin forces fired 145 drones as well as at least two Iskander ballistic missiles and other missiles overnight, Ukraine's Air Force said. 

“Such strikes show that Russia's goals are unchanged,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram. “It is very important to continue to do everything to protect life, strengthen our air defence, and increase sanctions against Russia.” 

The US this week stopped providing the intelligence that's helped Ukraine target Russian forces during the conflict, which is now in its fourth year. 

The halt covers all intelligence except for what Ukraine needs to protect its forces, according to a US official familiar with the decision, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.

At the same time, President Donald Trump on Friday said he was “strongly considering” additional sanctions on Russia over its continued attacks on Ukraine. It wasn't clear what new restrictions could be imposed given the broad limits already in place on Russia.