Russia has blamed Ukraine for setting ablaze one of its oil refineries, while Kyiv has accused Moscow of unleashing dozens of midnight raids by unmanned aerial vehicles for the second day running. TASS, citing local emergency services, stated that the Ilsky refinery near Novorossiysk in Krasnodar was targeted on Thursday. It reported a gasoline reservoir fire but provided no specifics. A petroleum store west of the bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula caught fire a day earlier.
“A second turbulent night for our emergency services,” Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev posted on Telegram, confirming tanks with oil products were set ablaze. He reported no injuries and extinguished fire. The drone attack came hours after Russia accused Kyiv of targeting the Kremlin. Moscow accused Kyiv of assassinating President Vladimir Putin, its most serious accusation since invading Ukraine. Moscow accuses Kyiv of frequent drone strikes on infrastructure and military targets, especially in regions near Russia. Moscow blamed Ukraine for an incident on April 29 that set fire to an oil storage in Sevastopol. Kyiv’s military says damaging Russia’s logistics prepares for a long-anticipated counteroffensive.
Drone attacks
On Thursday, the Ukrainian air force accused Russia of 24 drone attacks overnight, 18 of which were shot down. The invaders fired up to 24 Shahed-136/131 attack drones. The Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram that it and other air defense units shot down 18 attack drones. The new bombings were recorded less than 24 hours after Kyiv said 21 people killed in a Russian strike on the city of Kherson.
Zelenskyy in the Netherlands
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy landed at Amsterdam’s airport late on Wednesday for an unannounced visit to the Netherlands, with a trip to the International Criminal Court in The Hague on his schedule, local media reported. Zelenskyy arrived at Schiphol airport following a Nordic conference in Helsinki, according to ANP. The Ukrainian president is also expected to deliver a speech in The Hague entitled “No peace without justice for Ukraine”, according to public broadcaster NOS.
