President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Bashneft-Novoil and Slavneft-Yanos refineries were hit in attacks aimed at limiting oil revenues that Moscow is "using to finance" its war.
The governor of Yaroslavl Oblast, Mikhail Yevrayev, said Slavneft-Yanos was on fire after what he called "the largest enemy drone attack". He said four people were injured.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said at least 11 people were killed in Russian strikes, and the southern city of Kherson reported a total blackout. Russia announced that fuel, energy and transport facilities were targeted. In Odessa, no one is safe from new Russian strikes on the Black Sea.
More attacks
Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on major cities, energy facilities and warehouses in recent weeks as the vast front line remains virtually static and efforts to mediate to end the war have yielded no breakthrough.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zelensky said on Thursday that the affected Bashneft-Novoil refinery in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan is about 1.300 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, while Slavneft-Yanos is almost 700 kilometers away.
The Ukrainian president also said "two military patrol boats and fleet ships in the story were hit" in the Black Sea, referring to tankers used by Russia to illegally export sanctioned oil.
"Russia must choose peace," Zelensky said, adding that the Ukrainian attacks "strengthen the chances of diplomacy."
Yevrayev said 93 drones were shot down over the Yaroslavl region overnight.
"The waste hit the tanks of the oil refinery. Emergency services are working to extinguish the fire," he said.
The BBC has confirmed multiple videos and images shared on social media showing huge plumes of smoke rising from the refinery.
One of the verified images shows at least four fires burning in the area.
Energy production infrastructure in Yaroslavl has been a target of Ukraine several times.
Authorities in Bashkortostan have not publicly commented on the alleged Ukrainian attack on the Bashneft-Novoil refinery on August 5.
Source: BBC
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