|
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on oil refineries in Russia,
the world's second largest oil exporter, since the start of the
year in an attempt to reduce Moscow's energy revenues and the
amount of money it has to spend on the military.
There are no large oil refineries in the Smolensk region.
The governor, Vasily Anokhin, said on his Telegram messaging app
that the drone attacked a fuel-energy facility in the Kardym
region at 2 a.m. (2300 GMT on Friday), hitting a reservoir with
fuel and oil lubricants. The firefighters were tackling the
blaze, he added.
"As a result of the work of the air defence forces, the aircraft
were shot down. However, as a result of falling debris, a tank
with fuel and oil lubricants caught fire," he said.
The governor also added that it was not clear if people were
injured in the attack.
"Currently, an attempt to attack objects located on the
territory of the regional centre has been repelled. Please
remain calm and do not film the work of the air defence forces.
Rescue and law enforcement services on are on the scene of
events to ensure your safety," he wrote in a separate message.
Russia says the drone attacks amount to terrorism.
Ukraine does not officially confirm or deny it is attacking
refineries inside Russia, but says the facilities are legitimate
targets which aid the Russian military effort at a time when
Russian strikes are pounding Ukrainian cities and
infrastructure, including energy facilities.
(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Toby Chopra)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
