Ukraine's President Zelensky confirmed a drone strike on the Perm oil refinery over night. The strike in Russia's Perm Krai was reported early on Aug. 21 by Telegram media channels, The Kyiv Independent reports.
Videos shared by Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ purportedly show explosions and a fire in Perm, a city roughly 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Ukraine.
Exilenova+ said local residents reported a series of explosions at the refinery. OSINT analysts from ASTRA, an independent Russian Telegram channel, geolocated footage showing smoke rising near the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez oil refinery.
Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel, "We continue to use our long-range sanctions to return the consequences of the war to where it came from."
Local authorities warned residents of incoming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) around 6.30 a.m. local time. Around the same time, temporary restrictions were introduced at Bolshoe Savino airport in Perm, ASTRA wrote. These have since been lifted.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses shot down 325 Ukrainian drones overnight.
A previous attack on Jul. 29 struck the Lukoil-operated Perm oil refinery, one of Russia's largest.
Ukraine has intensified attacks on oil refineries and other energy facilities in Russia to disrupt fuel supplies to the Russian military and reduce revenues financing Moscow's war against Ukraine.
