Russia going through a difficult period, Putin says
Ukraine continued its heavy drone attack on Russia, setting fire to a major oil refinery in the south and killing at least two people, Russian officials said, with President Vladimir Putin acknowledging his country was going through a “difficult period.”
Ukraine has markedly increased its long-range attacks on Russia’s military industries and energy facilities in recent months; This attack aims to cut off Russia’s income from its occupation – now in its fifth year – and to make the Russian people feel the consequences.
“Our ‘long-term sanctions’ have reached two oil refineries in Russia,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on social media.
“Each (strike) means a decrease in the resources that feed the Russian war machine and another step towards peace.”
Debris from downed Ukrainian drones caused a fire at the refinery in the town of Slavyansk-na-Kubani in Russia’s eastern Krasnodar region of occupied Crimea, according to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev.
Falling debris killed one person in Slavyansk and injured another in a nearby village, local officials said.
The Slavyansk field is one of the largest refineries in southern Russia and processes close to four million tonnes of crude oil annually, according to its operator’s website.
It is also an important source of petroleum products intended for export from Russia’s Black Sea ports, including fuel oil, naphtha and marine fuel.
Zelenskiy also claimed that a second Russian refinery in the Yaroslavl region, about 700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, was hit in the night attacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that the country was “going through a difficult period” but insisted that the government would “fulfill all its social obligations” to citizens.
He did not directly address Ukraine’s strikes or fuel shortages.
Speaking at a conference organized by the ruling United Russia party ahead of parliamentary elections in September, Putin said: “Naturally, we are adjusting some plans to the current situation, but all strategically important (local) development programs will undoubtedly be fully implemented.” he said.
“We will continue to build housing and roads, create new, modern, high-paying jobs and support local businesses,” he said.
“We are going through a difficult period, but it has taught us a lot and allowed us to grasp the essence of what it means to be a Russian citizen.”
Ukraine’s constant attacks on oil facilities have left deeper scars in the daily lives of Russians.
The fuel crisis, which started in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, has now spread to almost all parts of the country.
Long queues form at stations where fuel sales continue.
In Crimea, service stations no longer provide fuel to private individuals.
With AP and DPA
