Ukraine strikes Russian gas and oil facilities in Volgograd Oblast, military says

Ukrainian forces struck a Russian gas plant and an oil pipeline station in Russia's Volgograd Oblast overnight on Oct. 9, Ukraine's General Staff reported.

Explosions and fires were reported at both the Korobkovsky Gas Processing Plant in Kotovo and the Yefimovka Linear-Production Dispatch Station, the military said.

The news comes as Ukraine escalates strikes against Russian energy facilities, aiming to undermine Moscow's state revenues fueling its all-out invasion.

The latest strikes were reportedly carried out by Ukraine's Special Operations Forces.

The Telegram channel Astra previously reported a fire at the Lukoil gas plant in Kotovo following a drone attack. Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said that "fires at fuel and energy facilities" were being addressed after attacks in the region.

The extent of damage is being determined, the Ukrainian military said in a statement.

The Kotovo gas plant is one of the largest facilities of its kind in southern Russia. It has a capacity of 450 million cubic meters of natural and associated gas per year, as well as 186,000 tons of a wide light hydrocarbon fraction annually.

The plant, which began operations in September 1966, plays a key role in the region's energy infrastructure.

"This facility is critical for Russia's oil and gas infrastructure: it provides processing and transportation of gas condensate, as well as the production of raw materials for the chemical industry," said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation.

Satellite images from NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) confirmed a fire at the gas processing plant.

The Yefimovka Line Production Dispatch Station services several main pipelines transporting oil and petroleum products in the region, with a throughput capacity of 50 million tons per year.

Volgograd Oblast lies in southwestern Russia, some 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.

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