Ukrainian forces conducted overnight strikes on two Russian oil refineries in Krasnodar Krai and Yaroslavl Oblast on June 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, as Kyiv intensifies its campaign targeting Moscow’s energy infrastructure.

Zelensky said Ukrainian strikes hit the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai — located around 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the front line — and another refinery in Yaroslavl Oblast, approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) from Ukraine’s border.

“We will continue our operations that weaken Russia’s ability to wage this war,” Zelensky said. “Every long-range sanction reduces the resources fueling Russia’s war machine and brings us one step closer to peace.”

Russian authorities reported that one person was killed and another injured in the Krasnodar Krai strike. Photos and videos circulating on social media showed large flames and thick plumes of smoke rising from what appeared to be storage tanks at the Slavyansk refinery.

The Krasnodar Krai regional operational headquarters later stated that the fire was caused by falling debris. The full extent of damage to the facility — a key fuel supplier for Russian-occupied Crimea — remains unclear.

In Yaroslavl Oblast, located about 250 kilometers (150 miles) northeast of Moscow, local authorities reported smoke rising from the area of the regional oil refinery. Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said Ukrainian drones were targeting the region.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted 213 Ukrainian drones overnight across 13 regions, annexed Crimea, and the waters of the Azov and Black seas. These figures could not be independently verified.

The latest attacks come as Russia faces growing fuel shortages caused by repeated Ukrainian drone strikes on its oil infrastructure. More than 20 Russian regions have imposed restrictions on fuel sales, with many residents reporting long queues at gas stations.

The strikes follow a series of similar Ukrainian operations in recent weeks. On June 25, Ukrainian drones hit two refineries in the Republic of Bashkortostan. Earlier attacks also forced the temporary shutdown of major facilities near Moscow and in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

Kyiv views these operations as a legitimate means to disrupt Russia’s revenues and limit its ability to sustain the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. Moscow has condemned the strikes as acts of terrorism targeting civilian energy infrastructure. (ILKHA)