Ukrainian Army Reports Targeting Two Oil Facilities and a Russian Ammunition Depot

Three and a half weeks after Ukraine's military operations began on Russian soil, escalating the war between the two countries, the Ukrainian army reported targeting two oil facilities and a military ammunition depot deep within Russia. Simultaneously, Ukraine announced the interception and downing of about 15 more drones launched by Russia over Kyiv on Wednesday night. The Ukrainian army stated on its Telegram channel on Thursday, September 8, that it attacked the Zenit oil facilities in the Kirov region of Russia and a military depot in Voronezh. Kirov is located in the Rostov region, 1,500 kilometers from the northeastern border of Ukraine, while Voronezh borders Ukraine. Alexander Sokolov, the governor of Kirov, stated on Thursday that the attack by Ukrainian drones on the oil depot in the city of Kotelnich did not cause a fire and resulted in no casualties. However, Russian officials reported a fire at the Rostov oil depot, adding that the attack 'did not cause any casualties.' Alexander Gusev, the governor of Voronezh, also mentioned that parts of a downed Ukrainian drone caused a fire near 'explosive objects' but did not damage the equipment itself. Kyiv claims that its attacks aim to strike at the energy, transportation, and military infrastructure of Russia that is used in its military campaign against Ukraine. On the other hand, Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kyiv military administration, stated on Thursday that Russia continued its drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital for the fourth consecutive day, launching suicide drones towards Kyiv on Wednesday night. Popko's report indicated that debris from the downed drones damaged a residential building and caused a fire in another building that was non-residential. Ruslan Kravchenko, the governor of Kyiv, identified the non-residential building as a private company in the Cherkasy region and said that firefighters extinguished the fire in the company's premises. Since Monday of this week, Russia has begun extensive attacks on energy facilities across Ukraine, including launching 200 missiles and explosive drones at the country. The electricity network in Kyiv has been disrupted in recent days as a result of these attacks, including the implementation of power cuts. The Russian attack on Ukraine has now entered its thirtieth month, but Ukraine, which launched a surprise attack in the Kursk region of Russia on August 7, claims to have taken control of over a hundred Russian settlements in an area of more than 1,400 square kilometers. Ukraine's operations in Russia have changed the outlook of the war despite some recent advances by the Russian army in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, emphasized this week that his country has no intention of occupying Russia and will soon present Kyiv's peace plan in meetings with the current President of the United States, his Vice President, and Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Zelensky is scheduled to travel to the United States next month to attend the United Nations General Assembly, a country that is Ukraine's most important ally and supporter in its defense against Russia. Russia warned this week that Western countries, by 'encouraging Ukraine' to operate on its territory, are 'playing with fire' that could lead to a third world war and 'its scope may not be limited to Europe.'