By Marek Fauda &Serge Duchesne
Release date
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Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on Saturday revealed the latest attacks targeting Russia’s oil infrastructure, from refineries to pipelines, as the Kiev government seeks to step up its counterattack against sectors it says are financing the Kremlin invasion.
The attack is part of the Ukrainian military’s strategy to “bring the war back to ordinary Russians” without endangering civilian lives.
It aims to target sectors and industries that affect ordinary Russian civilians, such as the energy used to power and heat homes and the use of drones to disrupt airport operations.
The move is an effort to drum up domestic pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to join peace talks and halt a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year.
Three sections of the Koltsevoe oil pipeline in the Moscow metropolitan area “supplying the Russian occupation forces” were destroyed following an operation carried out by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense HUR on Friday, Ukraine’s special agency reported in an official statement.
“The ‘protection’ of enemy facilities by anti-drone equipment and paramilitary security forces proved ineffective. Three sections, where the attackers were transporting gasoline, diesel and paraffin, detonated simultaneously and were successfully detonated. The pipeline was rendered unusable,” the statement said.
The main Koltsevoye pipeline is 400 kilometers long. The fuel transported by this pipeline comes from refineries in various regions, including Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow.
The Koltsevoe pipeline is responsible for pumping up to 3 million tons of paraffin, 2.8 million tons of diesel and approximately 1.6 million tons of gasoline annually, making it one of the Kremlin’s largest and most essential energy supply infrastructures.
Ukrainian drone engulfs Moscow
Kiev continues to launch a barrage of drones aimed at both attacking and destructive missions against Russia.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced late Friday that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 98 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.
Most of the planes (45) were shot down over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, the ministry said. However, Ukrainian attacks were also carried out in areas such as Samara, Moscow and Tula.
Dmitry Milyaev, the governor of Russia’s western Tula region, announced that a drone had fallen in Tula, but there were no injuries or property damage.
Russia launches over 200 drones
Russian aggression also continues to hit Ukraine, where Russia continues to attack its neighbor daily and resists global calls backed by US President Donald Trump to halt its attacks and come to the negotiating table to broker immediate and lasting peace.
Ukraine’s air defense forces said at least 223 drones were launched into Ukraine overnight into Saturday, about 140 of which were Iranian-made Shahed attack drones. A large number of missiles, including ballistic missiles, were launched towards Ukraine.
It added that the Ukrainian military managed to intercept 206 aircraft in the air before they reached their targets. However, the Ukrainian Air Force said 17 drones struck targets across seven regions.
At least one person was killed and more than a dozen others injured in the Russian missile attack on Mykolaiv, regional military administrator Vitaly Kim said. The injured, including a child, sustained moderate injuries and are being treated by medical professionals.
Initial reports suggested the attack was carried out by an Iskander ballistic missile equipped with a cluster munitions warhead. The attack damaged a gas station and civilian vehicles.