Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Oil Facilities, Burning Tankers in Sea of Azov

Ukrainian drones hit Russian oil facilities and set two oil tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov on Thursday, intensifying a fuel crisis that has brought gasoline shortages and rationing in multiple regions, according to the Associated Press.

The strikes followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s pledge to grant Kyiv a license to manufacture the Patriot air defense systems, and a top Ukrainian official cautioned it could take a year or more for Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptor missiles.

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Acting Gov. Vitaly Korolyov said a Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in the western Russian city of Tver, while Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov said oil reservoirs were set ablaze in Vyazniki in the southern Stavropol region.

In the Sea of Azov, Rostov Gov. Yuri Slusar said Ukrainian drones set two oil tankers on fire and that one ship was still burning as its crew evacuated.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed 73 Ukrainian drones from late Wednesday into early Thursday, while Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 94 long-range strike drones and two ballistic missiles and that 19 drones and both missiles damaged 13 locations.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the latest strikes on Russia’s infrastructure as part of Kyiv’s campaign of “long-range sanctions,” carried out in response to Moscow’s refusal to halt the fighting.

Zelenskyy said, “We have long proposed that Russia end this war, and every day of delay should bring the feeling of war to where it all began — to Russia,” as the Associated Press reported.

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The Kremlin said the Patriot license deal reflected what it called Washington’s “ambivalence,” but noted it appreciated Trump’s efforts to help broker a peace deal to end the war that Russia launched over four years ago.

In a separate account, the Los Angeles Times said the strikes came a day after Trump pledged to let Kyiv manufacture Patriot air-defense systems, and it quoted a Ukrainian advisor, Serhii Beskrestnov, warning that producing Patriot interceptor missiles could take “a year or more.”

The Los Angeles Times also reported that Russia warned deeper Ukrainian strikes and talk of NATO guarantees or a no-fly zone could expand Russia’s self-declared security buffer.

The drone campaign has triggered a widespread fuel crisis in Russia, with gasoline shortages and rationing in multiple regions and motorists waiting for hours to fill their tanks, the Associated Press reported.

“Ukrainian drones batter Russian oil facilities and set more oil tankers ablaze Ukrainian drones batter Russian oil facilities and set more oil tankers ablaze KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones hit more Russian oil facilities and set two oil tankers ablaze in the Sea of Azov on Thursday, a day after U”

Associated Press

The Associated Press said Moscow responded by intensifying its bombardment on Kyiv and other cities, exposing Ukraine’s vulnerability to ballistic missile strikes as Zelenskyy framed the strikes as “long-range sanctions.”

In the Los Angeles Times, acting Gov. Vitaly Korolyov tied the Tver fire to a Ukrainian drone strike, while Gov. Vladimir Vladimirov said the Vyazniki blaze forced the evacuation of several apartment buildings near the facility.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Ukrainian forces also hit fuel infrastructure deep inside Russia, including one in Ufa, and an oil-loading terminal in the Rostov region closer to Ukraine.

As the Kremlin weighed the implications of the Patriot license, the Los Angeles Times said Moscow hails Washington’s peace efforts yet brands its support “ambivalent,” warning that deeper Ukrainian strikes could expand Russia’s self-declared security buffer.