Ukraine hits Putin’s oil refinery in kamikaze drone strike sparking fireball blast near Moscow
Dramatic footage shows flames raging at a Russian oil refinery
UKRAINE has blitzed another major Russian oil refinery in a kamikaze drone strike, the explosions sparking a huge inferno near Moscow.
Dramatic video from the scene showed flames raging from the Rosneft energy giant facility in the city of Ryazan on Wednesday.
Residents of Ryazan, located 125 miles southeast of Moscow, were said to have heard the rumble of drones about 3am.
Two explosions followed the sound, triggering the inferno.
The attack came after another Ukrainian strike on two oil refineries in Krasnodar region, and coincided with Russian strikes on Odesa.
Five people were killed and more than 30 injured in a Russian cluster munition attack on a private law academy in Ukraine‘s Black Sea port city.
Video showed explosions and plumes of black smoke, followed by raging flames at the city’s “Harry Potter Castle”.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu demanded more “means of destruction” as Western supplies of munitions began to arrive in Ukraine.
On a visit to his military’s HQ, he said: “It is necessary to increase the volume and quality of the weapons and military equipment supplied to the troops, first and foremost the means of destruction.”
The grim-faced politician warned Putin about the pace at which military supplies were being provided to his troops.
He said: “There are issues that require special attention and urgent solutions, especially with regard to the provision of the most sought-after models.
“We shall discuss measures that will make it possible to ensure the fulfilment of the tasks of the special military operation.”
Shoigu said his forces “continue to fulfil combat tasks in accordance with the plan for the special military operation” in Ukraine, although a faster supply of new modern weaponry was essential.
An increase in speed of supply was needed “to maintain the required pace of the offensive and ensure the combat composition of the troop groupings is increased for further operation”, he said.
Shoigu’s ministry claimed today to have “destroyed and intercepted” six Ukrainian kamikaze drones, including one over Ryazan where the oil refinery was struck overnight.
The statement alleged that three were downed over Voronezh region, and one each over Belgorod and Kursk regions.
Ryazan Governor Pavel Markov said of overnight blitz: “According to preliminary information, there were no casualties.
“An investigation is underway.”
Ukraine is also said to have carried out drone attacks on Voronezh, Belgorod, and Kursk regions as it blasted the Ryazan oil refinery and Russia devastated Odesa.
The country’s repeated attacks on oil refineries have hurt the Russian economy, leading to price rises and supply problems.