(Kyiv) Ukraine on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a “successful” attack on a Russian oil refinery in an overnight drone attack in Azov, Rostov region, which caused a large fire, according to local authorities.
“Oil tanks caught fire in Azov following a drone attack,” wrote on Telegram Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Russian region of Rostov, where the military headquarters of the Russian operation in Ukraine is located. .
“According to initial information, there are no victims,” he assured.
At 12 a.m., 208 firefighters, 39 vehicles and a fire train carrying various equipment were dispatched to the scene to bring the fire under control, according to Mr. Golubev.
A Ukrainian source within Defense and familiar with the operation immediately congratulated AFP on a “successful” attack.
“Strong fires broke out in oil installations” added this source on condition of anonymity.
“The SBU will continue to impose “drone sanctions” against the Russian oil complex and reduce the economic potential of the enemy,” the source argued.
In total in recent months, Ukraine claims “more than 20 successful attacks against Russian oil installations in various regions”, again according to this source.
Ukraine, faced with the Russian invasion for more than two years, regularly responds by attacking Russian regions and particularly targeting energy sites, to hit the rear lines.
Kyiv had promised to bring the fighting to Russian soil in retaliation for the numerous bombings on its territory.
On the battlefield, the Ukrainian military said Tuesday that Russian forces “continue to attempt” to penetrate the vicinity of Chasiv Yar, their strategic target in the eastern Donetsk region.
The capture of this city could allow Russian troops to then accelerate their advances in this area of Donbass.
The Ukrainian Air Force also claimed to have intercepted ten suicide drones of Iranian design during the night from Monday to Tuesday.
Further south, Moscow’s forces are also advancing towards Pokrovsk, where they are closing in on a key route, which could significantly complicate supplies in the area for the Ukrainian army.
“The road will certainly not be blocked for the military,” however, assured AFP a 24-year-old Ukrainian soldier, who identified himself under the name “Dykiï”, interviewed at a training ground in the region.
According to him, even if Russian forces advance further towards this important axis, military engineers could nevertheless create new additional routes.
“As long as the weather conditions are good, there are roads everywhere,” he noted.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General on Tuesday accused Russian forces of having “decapitated” a Ukrainian soldier in the Donetsk region, near the Eastern Front, denouncing a new war crime by Moscow’s army.
“We received information that the heads of units of the Russian occupying forces in the Volnovakha zone of the Donetsk region ordered not to take prisoners among Ukrainian servicemen,” explained the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office in a press release on Telegram.
He claims that the head of a Ukrainian soldier was seen on a military vehicle during an aerial reconnaissance operation.
A photo accompanying the press release shows a light armored vehicle in camouflage colors with, on the hood, a blurred part where the head which would have been decapitated is located.
According to the prosecutor, these “actions constitute a flagrant violation of the articles of the Geneva Convention relating to the treatment of prisoners of war”. The magistrate adds that an investigation was opened for “violation of the laws and customs of war” as well as “premeditated murder”.
Moscow has so far not reacted to these allegations and AFP has not been able to independently verify the claims of Ukrainian prosecutors.