Ukraine claims attack on Russian oil refinery; the target of shelling is central to both Moscow and Kiev?

Ukraine said on May 1 that its military attacked a Russian oil refinery in Ryazan, south of Moscow, in a new drone attack on Russia's energy infrastructure.

Russia-Ukraine conflict: The main target of bombardment by both Moscow and Kiev recently has been the other side's energy facilities. (Source: TASS)

"As a result of an operation carried out by the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Agency on the night of May 1, a UAV was used to attack the Ryazan oil refinery in Russia," the Ukrainian Special Forces told AFP .

Ukraine has regularly launched UAVs into Russia since last year as the military conflict between the two countries dragged on, increasingly targeting sites such as factories and oil refineries deep inside Russian territory.

Ryazan region governor Pavel Malkov confirmed the attack but did not provide further details. “The Ryazan region was the target of a drone attack, but there were no casualties,” he said in a post on his Telegram channel.

Ryazan is about 190 km southeast of Moscow.

Energy facilities have recently become new targets of attack by both Russia and Ukraine, in a military conflict that has dragged on into its third year with no end in sight.

Earlier, on April 27, the Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had carried out 35 attacks in the past week targeting Ukraine's energy facilities, defense plants, railway infrastructure, air defense systems and ammunition depots.

In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said the attacks, which lasted from April 20 to 27, were "in response to attempts by the Kiev authorities to cause damage to Russian industrial and energy facilities."

The Russian Defense Ministry said the attack used long-range precision weapons launched from sea and air, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and drones.

Russia attacked power facilities in central and western Ukraine with missiles on April 27, Ukrainian officials said, adding to pressure on Ukraine's faltering energy system as Kiev faces a shortage of air defense weapons despite a breakthrough in US military aid.

Ukraine has also systematically targeted Russian oil refineries and other facilities in drone attacks in recent weeks.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ukraine-tuyen-bo-tan-cong-nha-may-loc-dau-nga-muc-tieu-ban-pha-trong-tam-cua-ca-moscow-va-kiev-269796.html