Kyiv attacks Russia’s oil sector: What are the consequences of the attacks?

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskij had pushed forward its efforts on Wednesday, with the support of the US President Donald Trump the Russian president Wladimir Putin to win a peace agreement. Putin, who ordered the major attack on Ukraine four years ago, is refusing to take part in talks Selenskij so far.

• What impact do the Ukrainian drone attacks have on Moscow?

According to the Defense Ministry, Russian anti-aircraft fire fired across the country on Thursday night 555 Ukrainian drones away. The state news agency Tass According to the report, it was one of the largest attacks this year. The mayor said that air defense intercepted around 180 drones over Moscow alone Sergej Sobjanin on the short message service Telegram.

Several drones reached a refinery in the southeastern district of Kapotnja, Sobyanin said. An eyewitness reported flames and clouds of smoke above the facility. It was the second hit this week for the refinery. The ongoing Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities are worsening the fuel crisis in Russia. The world’s third largest oil producer will have to import gasoline by sea this month to avoid shortages, according to insiders.

As a result of the attack, traffic was stopped on the Moscow ring road near the refinery. Flight operations at Moscow airports were suspended for safety reasons. At the largest airport Sheremetyevo in the northwest In the city, people sought shelter in parking garages, as the airport administration announced. Numerous videos from eyewitnesses to the attacks circulated on social media. Russian bloggers close to the government have called for filming Ukrainian drone strikes to be punished.

In addition to Moscow, Ukraine has also targeted other Russian and Russian-controlled regions in its drone attacks. There was one death in the border region of Belgorod and several injured in Belgorod, Kursk, but also the Russian-occupied part of the Ukrainian Donetsk region.

What does Ukraine want to achieve with this?

Ukraine has significantly intensified its drone attacks on Russian refineries. The attacks are primarily directed against Refineries producing gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel ffor the Russian domestic market. The aim is less to stop Russia’s oil exports than to disrupt domestic fuel supplies, build economic pressure and make the effects of the war more noticeable within Russia. Lower refinery capacity means less gasoline and diesel for the economy, military and population. According to the expert Sergey Vakulenko The strategy could be aimed at making the Russians aware of the costs and consequences of the war.

• How justified Selenskij the attack on the Russian refinery?

Selenskij confirmed the attack on the refinery on social networks. He described the attack as part of the Ukrainian one “Long-haul sanctions”. He thanked the Ukrainian secret services for the attack. The facility was an important object for the Russian war machine, he wrote.

Sea Selenskij Ukraine’s nightly attacks were a response to a Russian attack on Kiev this week, in which ten people killed and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site Höhlenkloster Petscherska Lawra was seriously damaged.

The attack on the Russian capital was again carried out by President Vladimir Putin organized a major international event together, the ASEAN summit in Kazan on the Volga. At the beginning of June, Ukraine set fire to a fuel depot in St. Petersburg, which was widely visible, while Putin’s International Economic Forum was meeting there.

• How is Russia reacting to the Ukrainian attacks?

Explosions were heard in Kyiv after the Russian attacks. “The enemy is attacking the capital with ballistic missiles,” said the head of the Kiev military administration, Tymur Tkatschenko. Air alerts have been sounded for large parts of Ukraine. According to authorities, one person was killed in a drone attack in the northeastern city of Sumy. A few days ago, ten people were killed and the world-famous cave monastery was damaged in a major Russian attack on Kiev.

There were also civilian casualties in the Russian-controlled areas and Russian border regions: According to the Russian administration, one person was killed in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, where many employees of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant live. According to official reports, Ukrainian drone attacks occurred in the Russian regions of Belgorod and Rostov two people lost their lives.

Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine exchanged bodies of soldiers killed in the war. Ukraine handed over 33 bodies to Russia, and in return Ukraine received 522 bodies from Russia, reports the Russian media portal RBC citing a Russian MP.

• What does Ukraine hope to gain from the Ramstein Group meeting?

Selenskij had pushed forward his diplomatic efforts on Wednesday at the end of the G7 summit in Evian, France. On Telegram he spoke of a “coordinating conversation” with Trump and the French president Emmanuel Macron. He was grateful to Trump for his willingness to bring peace closer. Met in Brussels Selenskij with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met to discuss strengthening Ukrainian defense and US licenses for the production of anti-aircraft systems.

The so-called Ramstein Group, an alliance of more than 50 states, will also meet on Thursday Ukraine supported militarily and financially. According to the Defense Minister, Ukraine wants to do this Mykhailo Fedorov ask for an additional $20 billion in military aid. The delivery of air defense systems will also be discussed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr said this was a delivery from NATO’s so-called PURL program (Partnership for Ukraine Resilience Liaison). Selenskij in a voice message to journalists.