Ukraine’s long-range drone attacks have targeted one of Russia’s largest gas processing facilities in the country’s Orenburg region, bordering Kazakhstan. Orenburg Governor Yevgeniy Solntsev said on Sunday that a strong blaze broke out at one of the workshops of the partially damaged facility due to the attack.
“All emergency services were dispatched to fight the fire,” Solntsev noted, adding that there were no casualties among the workers. The facility, operated by Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom, is among the world’s largest gas processing facilities, with an annual capacity of 45 billion cubic meters. The complex processes gas condensate from Russia’s Orenburg fields as well as from neighbouring Kazakhstan’s Karachaganak field. The fire in Orenburg gas facility continued for the second day on Tuesday.
In yet another attack on Russia’s energy infrastructure, Ukrainian drone operators hit Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region neighbouring Orenburg. Ukraine military reported that the attack caused a fire and damaged major refining infrastructure. Operated by Russia’s Rosneft oil company, the facility produces more than 20 types of petroleum products and has an annual processing capacity of 4.9 million tonnes.
The General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed responsibility for the attack on the Orenburg gas processing plant, as well as the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in the neighboring Samara region. Governor of Samara region Vyacheslav Fedorshchev said o Sunday that the region was under attack by drones, but made no mention of the oil refinery.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that there was "an increase both in the range and in the accuracy of our long-range sanctions against Russia." "Practically every day or two, Russian oil refineries are being hit. And this contributes to bringing Russia back to reality."
Ukraine’s long-range attacks on Russian soil as well as on Russian-held Ukrainian territories have plunged Moscow into energy crisis. Regions border Ukraine and Russian-held Crimea Peninsula have been hardest hit by fuel shortages and spikes in energy prices due to relentless Ukrainian strikes. With such strikes, Ukraine seeks to cut fuel and funding for Russia’s war machine.
