Russia hits Kharkiv Oblast oil refinery, causing 'significant' damage
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Russian forces struck an oil refinery in the city of Merefa, Kharkiv Oblast, overnight on April 8, causing "significant" damage, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported, citing the refinery's legal director, Anastasiia Cherednykova.
Russian forces attacked 17 settlements in the oblast, which borders Russia to the north and northeast, using more than 60 drones of various types, and five guided aerial bombs over the past day, according to local authorities.
One of the strikes hit the city of Merefa, where the refinery is located. Four houses and three vehicles were also damaged, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Cherednykova said no casualties were reported in the attack on the facility in Merefa, but the oil refinery, which has now been struck for the fifth time since the start of the full-scale invasion, incurred "significant" damage.
"The facility will continue to operate because we have a very large workforce. We will resume operations, but we cannot say how long that will take," Cherednykova told Suspilne.
During the March 2025 attack on the oil refinery, Russia deployed around 20 long-range drones, forcing the facility to temporarily suspend operations due to the damage.
Kharkiv Oblast, located near the Russian border, is regularly targeted by Russian attacks. Several settlements in the region's northeast remain under Russian occupation, while its forces continue to push toward the town of Kupiansk, which has seen continuous fighting since the start of the full-scale invasion.
