Ukraine strikes Russian oil facility, Buk air defense system overnight, military claims
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil facility in Krasnodar Krai and a Buk air defense system in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast overnight on Feb. 5, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said.
An attack carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Defense Forces set fire to the Albashneft oil facility in Novominskaya in southwestern Russia, according to the statement.
Earlier the same day, Krasnodar Krai authorities reported a Ukrainian drone attack that started a fire at an unspecified oil depot that allegedly contained a "residual amount" of petroleum product.
The village of Novominskaya lies roughly 250 kilometers (150 miles) from the front line in Ukraine.
"The hit has been confirmed," the General Staff said, describing the facility as a "mini-refinery" involved in the supply of gasoline and diesel fuel for Russian forces in Ukraine.
The extent of damage to the facility is being determined.
The General Staff also reported a successful hit against the Buk system in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, adding that "damage to the target was recorded."
The Kyiv Independent could not verify all the claims.
What is a Buk?
The Buk is a self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile system, first developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. In the decades since, the Soviet Union and then Russia developed several upgraded versions.
The latest version — the Buk-M3 — is manufactured by Russia's Almaz-Antey defense company, and can reportedly track and engage up to 36 targets simultaneously.
The Buk is designed to target planes, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones.
The Buk gained worldwide infamy in 2014 with the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.
On July 17 of that year, flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, set to arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport around 12 hours later.
Three hours into the flight, Russian proxy forces used a Buk to down the Boeing-777 above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board, among them 196 Dutch citizens.
The latest report of Ukraine striking the Albashneft oil facility comes as Kyiv is ramping up long-range drone strikes against Russian targets in the rear, focusing on oil facilities crucial for supplying the Russian military and feeding Moscow's war chest.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian drone attacks reportedly targeted energy facilities in Russia's Astrakhan and Volgograd oblasts overnight on Feb. 3, causing fires at the Lukoil oil refinery in Volgograd and the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
