Early Monday morning, Ukraine launched a drone strike on a major oil refining hub in central Russia, killing 13 people and wounding 75 others, as Kyiv continues its campaign against Russian infrastructure. Local officials reported that a child was among the casualties in the city of Nizhnekamsk, which lies about 1,200 kilometers east of the Russia-Ukraine border.
This attack marks one of the deadliest single Ukrainian strikes since the start of the conflict in 2022, based on the number of casualties. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the targets were the Taneco oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk and another refinery in southern Russia, aiming to reduce Russia's military potential. Footage circulating on social media shows the industrial area engulfed in flames; the Taneco refinery shares this complex with another refinery and a large petrochemical plant.
The Ukrainian General Staff noted, "The Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue systematic actions to help end Russia's military conflict." The agency also added that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian military equipment depot in the occupied city of Novoselidivka in the Donetsk region, as well as a field artillery ammunition depot near the village of Boyove.