“Drone attacks on oil refineries in the area were carried out last night. A main oil refining unit caught fire at the Kuibyshev Refinery. There are no casualties,” the press department of the government of Samara province in Russia quoted Mr. Azarov, according to TASS News Agency. The intense fire at that facility has been extinguished.
Meanwhile, a drone attack on Novokuibyshevsk, another oil refinery in Samara province, was repelled and there was no damage, according to Mr. Azarov.
“We see that the enemy, while suffering defeat on the battlefield, is doing everything possible to weaken our endurance and solidarity,” Mr. Azarov wrote on the Telegram messaging app, according to AFP.
Smoke rises after Ukrainian drones attacked an oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan province, in photos from video obtained by Reuters on March 13.3
Mr. Azarov announced two UAV attacks targeting two oil refineries in Samara province in the context of Ukraine significantly increasing attacks on Russian energy facilities this month, launching many drones. Long-range drones attacked major Russian oil refineries, leading to the temporary suspension of production at some plants, according to Reuters.
On March 22.3, newspaper Financial Times citing three sources, the US has called on Ukraine to stop UAV attacks targeting Russia's energy infrastructure, warning that such attacks risk driving up global oil prices.
Russia bombed energy infrastructure, millions of Ukrainians lost power
Then, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna on March 22.3 emphasized that Russian oil refineries were legitimate targets of Ukrainian forces, according to Reuters. “We understand the call of our American partners, but at the same time we are fighting with the capabilities, resources and methods that we have,” Ms. Stefanishyn said at the Kyiv Security Forum.
On the Russian side, when asked about the above call, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized on March 22.3: "This is an American problem. We want the US to call on the Kyiv regime to abandon its character, and above all to abandon terrorist activity against civilian and housing targets.”
Mr. Peskov's statement seemed to refer to shelling from Ukraine into the Russian border province of Belgorod, where officials said at least 26 people have been killed since December 15.12.2023, XNUMX, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, White House spokesman John Kirby refused to comment on the information on March 22.3 Financial Times that the US has called on Ukraine to stop attacking Russia's energy infrastructure. However, Mr. Kirby emphasized that Washington has a long-standing policy of discouraging Ukrainian forces from conducting attacks inside Russian territory, according to Reuters.
