Ukraine launches drone barrage on Russian oil refinery

 Ukrainian drones struck a large oil refinery in northwestern Russia overnight that ignited a fire, according to Russian and Ukrainian officials.

Newsweek reached to the foreign ministries of Ukraine and Russia on Sunday for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, years after the country annexed Crimea in 2014. Moscow has since claimed parts of Ukraine, with Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations seeking to defend the country's territorial integrity. The over three-years long war has displaced millions and killed large numbers of civilians and soldiers.

European leaders voiced alarm after Warsaw said Polish forces shot down several Russian drones that crossed into the country on Wednesday, the first direct military engagement of a NATO country since Russia's 2022 invasion.

Amid inflamed tensions, Moscow and Belarus have been conducting military exercises nearby, placing neighboring countries on high alert. Poland has closed its border to Belarus, Russia's close ally, and NATO has launched an "Eastern Sentry" to bolster the defense of Europe's eastern flank, Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced Friday.

What To Know

Drones are a central weapon in the conflict, and Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, especially oil facilities which Kyiv believes funds Moscow's ongoing war.

President Donald Trump called out NATO members for buying Russian oil, writing in a Saturday Truth Social post, "I am ready to do major Sanctions on Russia when all NATO Nations have agreed, and started, to do the same thing, and when all NATO Nations STOP BUYING OIL FROM RUSSIA."

Some NATO members still buy oil from Russia, like Turkey, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Overnight Saturday, more than 360 drones targeted an oil refinery in northwestern Russia, according to Reuters. The Kirishi refinery produces over 6 percent of the country's total crude oil, around 17.7 million metric tons per year, the Associated Press reported. The facility is about 800 miles from Ukraine's border and was previously targeted back in March.

The General Staff of Ukraine posted a photo of the reported fire on X, and noted in Ukrainian that the "refinery is one of the largest oil refineries in the Russian Federation. This facility produces about 80 types of petroleum products."

No one has reported injured, and Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko said three drones were downed and the blaze was extinguished, per the AP.

What People Are Saying

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Friday: "It's reckless and unacceptable. We can't have Russian drones entering allied airspace."

Radoslaw Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister and deputy foreign prime minister, said in a September 10 X post: "Last night, Poland's airspace was breached 19 times by drones manufactured in Russia. Our assessment is that they did not veer off course but were deliberately targeted."

Russian Ministry of Defense in a statement: "No targets on the territory of Poland were planned...nevertheless, we are ready to hold consultations on this matter with Poland's Ministry of Defense."

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said in an X statement Saturday night: "Romanian Air Force intercepted a Russian drone violating our national airspace near the Danube...Romania condemns Russia's behavior and takes the necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security."