Ukrainian drones strike Russia's Yaroslavl oil refinery, General Staff says amid latest mass attack inside Russia
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
An oil refinery in the Russian city of Yaroslavl and several targets inside Russian-occupied territories were struck by Ukrainian drones overnight on April 26, Ukraine's General Staff confirmed.
The refinery was hit, resulting in a fire on the premises, the General Staff said, adding that the extent of the damage was still being assessed.
"The Yaroslavl oil refinery is a strategically important enterprise and one of the key facilities in the Russian oil refining industry," the General Staff said.
The facility operates with a refining capacity is around 15 million tons of crude oil per year, the post added.
A drone attack threat was declared in Yaroslavl Oblast earlier in the night, regional governor Mikhail Yevrayev said, as independent Telegram news channel Exilenova Plus reported strikes on an oil refinery in Yaroslavl.
Mikhail Yevrayev, Yaroslavl Oblast Governor, said on Telegram that Russia's air defense and electronic warfare forces repelled a massive attack by Ukrainian drones. He said there were no casualties in the Yaroslavl Oblast.
Another major Ukrainian attack was reported in Vologda Oblast, north of Moscow, where one of Europe's largest chemical plants was hit.
Ukrainian drones struck the Cherepovets branch of the Apatit company, which manufactures phosphate-based fertilizers, said Vologda Oblast governor Georgy Filimonov.
Five people were injured with acid burns in the attack, one seriously, said Filimonov, after a high-pressure pipeline was burst. Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti later added that overall 10 people were injured.
Cherepovets is around 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, making the attack the latest testament to Ukraine's ability to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.
In total, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed 203 drones were intercepted across multiple regions, including areas near Moscow, occupied Crimea, and the Black Sea.
In occupied Crimea, drone strikes were reported in the cities of Bakhchysarai and Sevastopol, Telegram news channel Crimean Wind reported.
Another Ukrainian drone attack was also reported in the city of Michurinsk, Tambov Oblast, independent Russian Telegram news channel Astra reported.
Also, Shebekinsky and Belgorod districts in Russia's Belgorod Oblast were struck by Ukrainian drones, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported.
Belgorod Oblast sits along Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia.
"A residential building in the city of Alekseyevka was attacked by an airplane-type drone. A balcony in one of the apartments caught fire," Gladkov claimed.
Gladkov said one person was killed, five others injured in the attack.
Earlier in the night, the city of Alekseyevka and the village of Rzhevka in Belgorod Oblast were attacked, Gladkov said.
Four people were injured in the village of Rzhevka after a car was struck in the attack, he said.
The details could not be immediately verified by the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine regularly strikes military infrastructure deep inside Russia and the occupied territories in an effort to diminish Moscow's capacity to continue waging war on Ukraine.
Kyiv considers energy facilities to be valid military targets, as the energy sites provide fuel and funding for the Kremlin's war machine.
On April 22, Ukrainian drones struck a command post of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in occupied Donetsk, killing 12 officers and injuring 15 others, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Madyar" Brovdi reported.
