AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
Ukraine has fired at least 13 missiles and 84 drones into Russian territory, causing a fire at an oil refinery in the southern Rostov region that burned for hours, Russian officials said.
As Russia advances at its fastest pace since the start of the 2022 war, Ukraine is trying to attack Russian oil infrastructure that finances a significant part of Russia's war economy.
Russian air defenses have shot down 84 drones over Russian regions, including 36 over the Rostov region, according to the Defense Ministry.
Acting Rostov Governor Yuriy Slyushar said Ukraine had hit the region with at least 13 missiles and dozens of drones, causing a fire at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery (the 10th largest in Russia), which has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine.
At least one person was injured in the attack, Slyushar said. The fire was extinguished early Thursday.
It is not yet clear which missiles Ukraine fired at Rostov, although Kiev earlier this month struck a Russian military airport with US-made ATACMS missiles, prompting a major Russian attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
After approval from the Biden administration, Ukraine attacked Russia on November 19 with six US-made ATACMS missiles and British-made Storm Shadow missiles and HIMARS on November 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, following those attacks, fired a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as the Oreshnik into Ukraine on November 21.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s official Center for Combating Disinformation, wrote on Telegram that the missile strike targeted the Kamensky chemical plant “which produces rocket fuel specialized in solid fuel components for rocket engines.”
Reuters was unable to independently verify reports from the battlefield from either side.