Russia-Ukraine strikes overnight killed at least one person in Russia and set fire to the country’s second-largest oil refinery, while Russian forces reportedly targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
A woman was killed by falling drone debris during an attack on the Kirishi refinery in the Leningrad region, regional governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said. An apartment in Kirishi was also damaged.
Mr Drozdenko said air defences had brought down 113 Ukrainian drones. The refinery was set alight after the attack, he added.
The Leningrad region is a major hub for Russia’s oil and grain exports through the Baltic Sea, while the Kirishi facility is the country’s second-largest oil refinery.
Russian strikes hit Ukrainian energy sites
Russian forces struck three power substations across Ukraine overnight on Monday, according to Russian state news agencies. They also reported that a cargo ship in the Black Sea had been hit because Moscow said it was carrying arms to Ukrainian forces.
Those claims have not been independently verified.
Russia has continued attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes had left many cities and communities facing severe problems with power, water and heating supplies.
Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had agreed with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, to activate a mechanism allowing European Union funds to be deployed more quickly in response to attacks on energy infrastructure.
“Our teams are already working on this,” he said.
He identified Kyiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Donetsk and Kherson as among the regions facing the most acute energy crisis.
