Ukraine Targets Oil Refinery in Volgograd, Russia with Drone Attack

A Ukrainian source told Reuters that on Saturday, February 3, the country conducted a drone attack on the oil refinery facilities in Volgograd, southern Russia, led by the Ukrainian Security Service, using two drones. Local Russian officials had previously announced that a fire at this major refinery had been extinguished following the drone attack. According to the report, the attack on the refinery owned by the Russian oil and gas company Lukoil marks a new chapter in Ukraine's recent drone attacks on Russian oil facilities. The source in Kyiv told Reuters: 'By striking oil refineries that serve the Russian military-industrial complex, we not only cut off the fuel supplies needed by the enemy but also reduce Russia's financial resources.' He emphasized that drone attacks on Russian energy facilities would continue. Since the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022, Russia has regularly conducted long-range missile strikes on targets in Ukraine, including attacks on the country's infrastructure. Meanwhile, Kyiv has been trying to produce higher-range attack drones to come closer to Russia's offensive capabilities. In this regard, Kyiv has made progress in drone technology and supported the production of long-range drones, successfully targeting Russian infrastructure facilities. The distance from Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border to Volgograd in southern Russia is over 600 kilometers. In a drone attack on January 17, Ukraine also targeted an oil terminal in St. Petersburg, which is located 850 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. In recent months, Russia and Ukraine have increased attacks on each other's territory, targeting each other's critical military, energy, and transportation infrastructure. The use of North Korean-made missiles and Iranian-made drones by Vladimir Putin's government in the invasion of Ukraine has raised serious concerns among Western countries, especially the United States. In response to the extensive military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, particularly in the drone sector, the U.S. and its allies have imposed several sanctions against individuals and entities linked to the Islamic Republic. On January 11, the U.S. State Department also sanctioned three Russian entities and one individual related to the transfer and testing of North Korean ballistic missiles to Russia in response to military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.