Ukrainian drone strike sets fire to Russian oil depot

A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia’s southern Volgograd region, regional officials say.

In a Telegram post published on the local government channel, regional governor Andrei Bocharov was quoted as saying that no casualties were reported.

The post did not specify damage, but noted that people living near the warehouse may need to move to other locations.

Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian energy fields aim to deprive the country of the oil export revenue it needs to sustain its full-scale occupation.

Russia wants to cripple Ukraine’s power grid to “weaponise winter” and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water, officials in Kiev say.

Saturday’s attack came a day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles through Friday, killing at least four people in the capital, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in nearly four years of war, a powerful new hypersonic missile struck western Ukraine on Friday.

The massive barrage and launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to protect the country from further Russian aggression in the event of a US-led peace deal.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its forces used aviation, drones, missiles and artillery to strike Ukraine’s energy facilities and fuel storage depots on Friday and overnight.

He did not immediately specify the targets or damage.

Russia hit Ukraine with 121 drones and an Iskander-M ballistic missile overnight into Saturday, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Ukrainian officials said 94 drones were shot down.