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(LONDON) — Local emergency services in Ufa, in Russia’s Bashkortostan republic, reported a fire at one of the country’s largest oil refineries, with one Ukrainian official describing the incident as a drone attack.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Bashkortostan reported a fire on the territory of the Ufa oil refinery in the early hours of Monday morning, without specifying the cause. There were no reports of casualties, and the ministry said around seven hours later that the blaze had been extinguished.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported the downing of seven Ukrainian drones overnight — three over the Lipetsk region, two over the Rostov region and two over the Belgorod region — but made no reference to any attack in Ufa.
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that “unknown UAVs attacked the Ufa refinery.” ABC News could not immediately verify the claim.
Kovalenko described the facility as “one of the largest” in Russia, with a capacity of around 20 million tons of oil annually. “The refinery is of strategic importance for the Russian army, as it is part of the group of enterprises that provide fuel to the armed forces,” Kovalenko wrote.
“Its products include aviation fuel, diesel fuel for military equipment and lubricants necessary for the operation of armored vehicles, aviation and road transport,” he added.
Russia, meanwhile, continued its nightly tempo of cross-border drone strikes. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched 83 attack drones into the country, 46 of which were shot down and 31 lost in flight.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement to social media, “Ukraine is fighting for the normal and safe life it deserves, for a just and reliable peace. We want this war to end. But Russia does not, and continues its aerial terror.”
“Those who seek negotiations do not deliberately strike civilians with ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy added, referring to Moscow’s regular use of missile strikes across the country.
“To force Russia to stop its attacks, we need greater collective strength from the world,” Zelenskyy said. “Strengthening our air defense, supporting our army, and ensuring effective security guarantees that will make the return of Russian aggression impossible — this is what we must focus on.”
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