Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil depots in multiple Russian regions
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Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine's military continued their attacks on Russian oil infrastructure overnight on July 9, targeting oil depots in multiple regions, Russian Telegram media channels reported.
Photos and videos posted to social media purport to flames and black smoke rising from a Lukoil-owned depot in the town of Mikhaylovsk in Stavropol Krai. Drones were also reportedly seen flying towards the target.
Minutes later, independent Telegram media channels, citing resident accounts, reported that another fire had broken out at an oil depot in the city of Tver, located approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles) northwest of Moscow, as a result of a Ukrainian strike.
The extent of the damage caused was not immediately clear.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports. Ukraine's military has not yet commented on the reported attack.
Kyiv considers energy facilities to be valid military targets, as the energy sites provide fuel and funding for the Kremlin's war machine.
Ukraine has been waging an increasingly successful deep strike campaign against Russian oil infrastructure, disrupting production at major facilities and in some cases halting operations indefinitely.
Ukraine's refinery attacks have mounted pressure on the Kremlin by aggravating a domestic fuel supply crisis that has already caused export bans, price hikes, and sales restrictions across Russia.
The Russian government announced on July 8 that it would ban the export of diesel fuel until at least the end of the month, after weeks of Ukraine successfully pummelling energy infrastructure.
