Ukraine has struck a major Russian oil refinery using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, according to Ukrainian military and security officials.
The Ukrainian General Staff said the missiles triggered several explosions at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region. “Multiple explosions were recorded. The target was hit,” the General Staff said on the Telegram app on Thursday.
Officials said the refinery was one of southern Russia’s largest suppliers of oil products and had been providing diesel and jet fuel to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
UK-Supplied Storm Shadow Missiles Used Inside Russia
The United Kingdom granted Ukraine permission last year to use Storm Shadow missiles against targets inside Russia, with the first known strikes taking place in November.
Alongside the missile attack, Ukrainian-made long-range drones also hit oil product tanks at Russia’s Temryuk port in the Krasnodar region, as well as a major gas processing plant in Orenburg. The Orenburg facility is the largest of its kind in the country and lies around 1,400km (870 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Russian officials in Krasnodar said two oil product tanks caught fire following the drone attack at the southern port of Temryuk. Flames spread across about 2,000 square metres, according to authorities at the Krasnodar operational headquarters, who shared details on Telegram.
Ukraine Intensifies Attacks on Russian Energy Infrastructure
Both Kyiv and Moscow have stepped up attacks on energy facilities in recent months, marking a significant escalation in the economic dimension of the conflict.
Since August, Ukraine has increased strikes on Russian oil refineries and other energy infrastructure as it seeks to cut Moscow’s oil revenues, a crucial source of funding for Russia’s war effort.
A chart released by Ukrainian sources shows a growing number of oil refineries struck in the months leading up to December.
Peace Talks and Diplomatic Signals Amid Ongoing Fighting
Away from the battlefield, Russian officials said there had been “slow but steady progress” in peace negotiations with the United States.
“In the negotiation process on a settlement of the Ukraine conflict, I mean in the negotiation process with the United States, there is slow but steady progress,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
She added that Western European powers were attempting to undermine the talks and said the United States should counter such efforts.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Kremlin Downplays European Peace Proposals As Putin Envoy Continues US Talks On Ukraine War
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that he had spoken with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for nearly an hour.
“It was truly a good conversation: many details, good ideas, and we discussed them,” Zelenskyy said. “We have some new ideas on how to bring real peace closer, and this concerns formats, meetings, and of course, timing.”
For More, Follow SurgeZirc UK On Facebook, X, Instagram, and Bluesky
