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Deep strikes on energy
Ukrainian drones struck Russian energy infrastructure across several regions, including the Saratov oil refinery on the Volga River, causing a large fire, according to Ukraine’s General Staff and Russian officials.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strike was “This is about 700km from the front line,” as the General Staff also confirmed a strike on the Lazarevo pumping station in Russia’s Kirov region.
In the Rostov region, authorities in the town of Matveyev Kurgan said a major fire was burning after drones hit a fuel depot, and Ukraine confirmed the strike.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had downed 216 drones overnight, while Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 229 drones overnight and that 212 were downed over northern and eastern Ukraine.
The AAP News report also said governors in the Voronezh and Belgorod regions reported damage, with three civilians injured in Belgorod, and Kremlin-backed governor Sergei Aksyonov said restrictions on sales of petrol were being introduced on Crimea.
Nuclear dispute and denials
Ukraine denied Moscow’s claim that a Ukrainian drone struck the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, as Kyiv said it launched fresh strikes overnight on Russian energy sites.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, voiced “serious concern” on X following the incident, while the IAEA said its team observed damage to a turbine building caused by drones on Saturday but did not specify whose drones.
Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev accused Ukraine of a “deliberate” attack, saying a “kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6.”
Ukraine’s military said it did not target or strike the plant and described the Russian claim as “yet another propaganda ploy,” adding that it adheres to international humanitarian law.
The AAP News account said radiation levels at the site remained normal, and the NBC News report said the IAEA confirmed normal radiation levels at Zaporizhzhia.
Evacuations and wider effects
In Russia’s Rostov region, local officials introduced a state of emergency over a huge blaze at an oil depot hit by a drone in Matveyev-Kurgan, where the town’s head Dina Alborova said the fire spread over 3,600 square meters.
Alborova said residential houses and several shops were affected, while the RTE.ie report said the governor of the Kirov region, Alexander Sokolov, called for calm after drones hit a “facility” and caused a fire.
In Ukraine, authorities were clearing the aftermath of a Russian strike on a warehouse in Dnipro belonging to Nova Poshta, which said its Dnipro branch was hit by a drone and that “the building burned down completely.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky said online, “All these attacks must be stopped,” adding that “continued pressure on Russia” was needed alongside sufficient support for Ukraine’s defence.
The same reporting cycle also described Ukraine’s effort to intercept Russian drones, with Zelensky saying, “We are trying to intercept all Russian drones, even when some of them are going in the direction of other countries, like Romania, Moldova, Poland, or the Baltic states.”
