Ukraine strikes 2 more oil depots deep in Russian territory

Ukraine’s military said on Wednesday it shot down a Russian fighter jet over eastern Ukraine, as Russia stepped up its retaliation in Ukraine’s occupied eastern region shortly after Kiev set fire to another Russian oil depot in a strike deep into Russian territory.

Early Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone strike set fire to a Russian oil depot more than 100 miles from the border with Ukraine in the Rostov region. No casualties were reported, and at the time of writing, firefighters were still trying to put out the blaze, according to Ukrainian media reports.

Ukraine also attacked the Zenit oil depot, which houses a tank of petroleum products, more than 700 miles away in the Kirov region. Kiev connects both warehouses to Moscow’s military-industrial complex.

Shortly thereafter, Ukraine claimed to have shot down a Su-25 “Frogfoot” fighter jet over eastern Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk region.

The latest escalation comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed to step up his audacious incursion into Russian territory that has been underway for nearly three weeks, seeking to go on the offensive after being on the defensive since the March 2022 invasion.

In the Donbass region of Ukraine, Russia is stepping up its offensive, with Kyiv Post describing Ukrainian forces on this front as “overmatched” and outnumbered. Citing Zelensky, the Kyiv Post said reinforcements were underway and two towns had already fallen to Russian forces.

Earlier this weekRussia has fired about 200 missiles into Ukraine, targeting energy facilities, while Polish media reports Warsaw has deployed jets to defend Polish airspace against attack, and a US air base in Germany remains on full alert in a state of preparation. Parts of Kiev were left without power and water earlier this week as a result of the Russian dam.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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