MOSCOW: Ukraine struck Russian oil refineries in a second day of heavy drone attacks on Wednesday, causing a fire at Rosneft's biggest refinery in what President Vladimir Putin said was an attempt to disrupt his country's presidential election this week.
Russia and Ukraine have both used drones to strike critical infrastructure, military installations and troop concentrations in their more than two-year war, with Kyiv stepping up attacks on Russian refineries and energy facilities in recent months.
A day after seriously damaging Lukoil's NORSI refinery in Nizhny Novgorod, Ukrainian drone attacks hit refineries in the Rostov and Ryazan regions, Russian officials said.
In Ryazan 180 kms from Moscow, a drone attack caused a fire at Rosneft's refinery, Russia's seventh largest and there were initial reports of injuries, governor Pavel Malkov said.
Two sources familiar with the situation said that the refinery had been forced to shut down two primary oil refining units. Rosneft did not reply to a request for comment.
In Rostov, there were no casualties but the Novoshakhtinsk refinery was forced to halt operations and damage was being assessed, regional governor Vasily Golubev said.
A Ukrainian source said that the drone attacks were conducted by Ukraine's SBU security service. "We are systematically implementing a detailed, calculated strategy to reduce Russia's economic potential," the source said.
Ukrainian defence forces, the source added, also conducted overnight drone attacks on a Russian airbase in Buturlinovka and a military airfield in Voronezh region.
Strikes on oil refineries have the potential to reduce the country's output of gasoline and diesel and push up prices. Russia imposed a six-month ban on gasoline exports on March 1.
Putin, in remarks published on Wednesday, accused Kyiv of attempts to interfere with the March 15-17 presidential election through its attacks.
"The main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to - if not to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia - then at least somehow interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens," Putin told Russia's RIA state news agency and Rossiya-1 state television in a wide-ranging interview.
"I think everyone can see our drones in action. Particularly in long-range action," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Tuesday.
Russian media said around 60 drones had been destroyed over Russian sovereign territory over just several hours on Wednesday.
Russia's RIA state news agency said four Ukrainian drones attacked the Ryazan plant in the early hours, leading to a 175 square metre blaze. — Reuters
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