A drone strike focused the Saratov oil refinery in Russia's Saratov Oblast on Feb. 11, claimed Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Heart for Countering Disinformation.
"The Saratov Oil Refinery is among the key services in Russia's gas infrastructure. Its refining capability reaches 7 million tons of oil yearly," Kovalenko mentioned, including that the refinery is essential in supplying gas to the Russian army.
The information comes as Ukraine is ramping up long-range drone strikes in opposition to Russian targets within the rear, specializing in oil services essential for supplying the Russian army and feeding Moscow's battle chest.
Saratov Oblast Governor Roman Busargin confirmed that drones struck an industrial facility within the area however didn’t specify whether or not it was the oil refinery.
"Operational providers are working within the locations the place particles may have presumably fallen. In accordance with preliminary information, there are not any victims," he wrote on Telegram.
Russian Telegram channels reported explosions and a hearth on the facility, whereas Russia's Protection Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 40 Ukrainian drones in a single day, together with 18 over Saratov Oblast.
The Kyiv Impartial couldn’t confirm these claims.
Saratov, a metropolis almost 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine's border, hosts a number of strategic army and industrial websites.
The final identified Ukrainian assault on Saratov Oblast occurred in a single day on Jan. 8, igniting a big fireplace at an oil depot within the metropolis of Engels, based on Russian Telegram channels.
The Kyiv IndependentVolodymyr Ivanyshyn