Ukraine shells Russian town, drones strike two refineries
RUSSIA’S ENVOY ACCUSES WASHINGTON OF ENCOURAGING KYIV AFTER ATTACK
Moscow said Ukrainian artillery had hit a town inside Russia for a third time this week and reported drone strikes on two Russian oil refineries yesterday, while Ukrainian shelling in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine killed five people.
In the Russian town of Shebekino, two of four wounded people were hospitalised and shells damaged an apartment building, four homes and a school, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Russian-installed officials in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region — one of four Moscow claims to have annexed — said Ukraine had used US-made HIMARS rocket launchers to attack a farm in Karpaty village overnight, killing five people and wounding 19.
22 Russian attacks
Ukraine’s general staff said its forces had fended off 22 Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine over the past day and Ukrainian aircraft had carried out 11 strikes on Russian personnel and military equipment, without specifying where.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had pushed Ukrainian forces back around two settlements in Donetsk region, part of a 1,000km front line that has barely moved despite months of gruelling battles that have cost tens of thousands of lives.
Ukraine’s general staff said its forces had fended off 22 Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine over the past day and Ukrainian aircraft had carried out 11 strikes on Russian personnel and military equipment, without specifying where.
Oil export terminals
Drones attacked two oil refineries 65-80km east of Russia’s biggest oil export terminals yesterday, according to Russian officials who did not attribute blame.
A fire broke out at the Afipsky refinery but was later extinguished and a drone crashed into the Ilsky refinery without damaging it, they said, in what was the latest of several reported attacks there this month.
The skies over Ukraine were relatively quiet on Tuesday night, with no major air raids reported after waves of attacks over the previous 24 hours. Russian drone strikes killed one person and wounded four in Kyiv on Tuesday, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukrainian drones struck wealthy districts of Moscow on Tuesday and two people were injured while some apartment blocks were briefly evacuated, according to Moscow’s mayor. The Kremlin said Moscow’s air defences worked effectively but had room for improvement.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential aide, denied Kyiv was directly involved but said “we are pleased to watch events” and forecast more such strikes.
War of words
Russia’s envoy accused Washington of encouraging Kyiv after the attack. The White House had said it was gathering information on the incident and reiterated that Washington does not support attacks inside Russia.
A senior Russian official also hit out at Britain after British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was reported to have said Ukraine had a right to project force beyond its borders.
Any British officials who facilitated war in Ukraine could be considered legitimate military targets, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.
Russia has noted “the lack of condemnation” by the United States and Britain of the attack on Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Washington and London are major suppliers of weaponry to Ukraine on the condition it uses it to defend itself and to retake Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.