Ukraine has said it targeted an oil refinery in Russia’s Orenburg Region in a “deep” overnight strike.
Ukraine’s armed forces have said that a fire broke out at the refinery, and damage is currently being assessed.
Iskander Missile Attack Creative Commons Image
Refinery Close to Kazakh Border Ablaze
The Orsk refinery is located some 1,500 kilometers from the front line, close to Russia’s border with Kazakhstan.
On Tuesday morning, Mayor Artem Vorobyov said the city had been attacked, and flights to and from Orsk Airport were suspended.
This comes a day after Ukraine reportedly struck fuel infrastructure in Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, and a petrochemical plant in western Siberia.
Images shared on the social media platform Telegram appear to show smoke at the Orsk refinery, although 19FortyFive is unable to verify this footage.
Struck Facility Processes 6 Million Metric Tons of Crude Oil Per Year
PJSC Orsknefteorgsintez in the city of Orsk is one of the country’s key oil refineries, processing more than 6 million metric tons of crude oil annually.
Located near the Ural River, the site is part of the “ForteInvest” holding company, owned by oligarch Mikhail Gutseriev’s “Safmar” conglomerate, valued at about 1,400 billion rubles (about $17 billion USD).
The facility manufactures an array of critical materials, including gasoline, diesel fuel, fuel oil, bitumen, and jet fuel.
In addition to its contributions to the Russian war chest, the facility is a major supplier of petroleum products to surrounding regions.
Putin in 2022 Russian State Media
It is also one of the oldest oil refineries in the Urals region, having been founded in 1935 during the Stalinist era.
Ukraine also struck Lukoil’s Volgograd facility earlier this month.
The site processes some 15 million metric tons of crude oil each year.
It comes after Ukraine’s recent shift from hitting Russia-linked tankers to penetrating strategic sites far behind Moscow’s borders.
Ten Dead in Russian Strikes on Ukraine
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, at least 10 people were killed during a Russian aerial attack last night.
Zaporizhzhia, where seven of the fatalities occurred, was targeted by bombs and rockets, according to the regional governor Ivan Fedorov.
Zelenskyy has also accused Russia of deploying North Korean missiles in the deadly attack.
Putin in a Meeting. Russian Federation Photo.
Moscow and Pyongyang have not issued comments on the matter.
An estimated 14,000 North Korean troops have already been sent to fight in Russia’s Kursk region in 2024 after Ukrainian forces made incursions on the area.
Russia’s defense ministry has confirmed it launched strikes on “defense industry” targets and transport and logistics centers in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia overnight.
A fire also reportedly erupted at an oil refinery some 6,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border in Russia’s Far East.
A Voronezh Oblast logistics hub belonging to major Russian online retailer Wildberries was also struck overnight on Aug. 11.
On Tuesday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that Russia has experienced 1,460,400 personnel losses in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Russia also says that it “intercepted and destroyed” 396 Ukrainian drones overnight in 15 regions.
On Monday evening, Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported explosions in the Ukrainian capital due to a “ballistic-missile attack.” The City Children’s Clinical Infectious Disease Hospital was among the sites hit in the attack.
Zelenskyy Calls for More Patriot Interceptors
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s ongoing attacks on Russia’s industrial and fuel infrastructure were part of its strategy of pressuring Moscow into a peace deal.
“The only reason this is still continuing is Russia’s unwillingness to end this war,” he said during his regular nightly address.
Kyiv’s pressing shortage of ballistic-missile interceptors is putting its defense capabilities at risk. Zelenskyy has called on the US to permit the supply of more Patriot (Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target) interceptors.
Demand for the interceptors has risen sharply during the U.S. conflict with Iran. The Ukrainian air force says Patriots are the only missile systems Ukraine has access to that can intercept the Russian Iskander-M, S-400, and Zircon missiles.
About the Author: Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
