Moscow: Ukraine has launched fresh attacks on the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, killing at least two people, according to the Moscow-appointed authorities in the region. Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed head of Crimea, reported that one of the victims was a minor. He also noted that two other individuals sustained injuries in the attack, which occurred in the vicinity of Simferopol.
According to Ghana News Agency, casualties were also reported in the Russian border region of Bryansk. The acting regional governor, Yegor Kovalchuk, stated that a drone struck a car near the village of Solova, resulting in the deaths of a 23-year-old driver and a 15-year-old passenger. Additionally, Ukrainian drone strikes ignited fires in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar. The civil defence headquarters there announced on Telegram that a fire broke out at an oil depot in Poltavskaya due to the falling drone debris.
The oil depot had previously been targeted last week. In the Abinsky District, falling drone debris also triggered a fire at a factory site. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attack on the oil depot via social media, adding that two refineries in Ufa, in the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan, had also been hit.
In response to the attack in Ufa, Radiy Khabirov, the head of the republic, reported on Telegram that the drone attack on the city had been repelled. He mentioned that debris fell in an industrial area, but fortunately, there were no injuries, and businesses continued operating normally. Bashkortostan is located to the east of Moscow in the southern Ural Mountains. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed that 269 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted overnight over Russian territory and annexed Crimea.
While these figures remain unverified, they underscore the intensity of the Ukrainian offensives. The ministry in Moscow typically refrains from detailing any resultant damage. Amidst efforts to counter Russia's extensive invasion, now in its fifth year, Ukraine has intensified its counterattacks, primarily targeting Russia's oil and gas sectors as well as military installations.
Kiev's strategy aims to disrupt the Russian military's fuel supplies and diminish revenue from the energy sector. Consequently, fuel shortages have been reported in an increasing number of Russian regions, with Crimea being particularly affected.