Ukraine intensifies strikes on Crimea’s fuel infrastructure, targeting oil facilities

On Sunday, Russian authorities halted fuel sales to the public in the occupied region of Crimea as Ukraine sustained its attacks on the peninsula.

Fuel has already been rationed due to shortages caused by Ukraine's recent campaign against supply routes in Russian-occupied territories.

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Earlier, Ukrainian drones hit Moscow’s oil refinery, sending out flames and a pall of smoke over the south-eastern district of Kapotnya. 

This marks the second time this week, with videos circulating online showing multiple fires burning across the site of an oil refinery. 

Residents report that huge columns of black smoke rising from the site are visible across various parts of Moscow. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “The attack on the Moscow oil refinery was a fully justified response to Russian attacks on our cities and communities.”

According to Zelensky, Kyiv has also hit a logistics facility for oil transportation in Russia’s Krasnodar region across the Kerch Strait.

Notably, local authorities further clarified that one person had been killed on a passenger ferry.

It has been observed that both sides have heightened aggression in recent months as progress towards a ceasefire has stalled, more than four years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion. 

Kyiv’s primary focus has been to constrict revenue for Moscow’s war chest by targeting fuel exports.

It is pertinent to mention here that Kyiv seeks to undermine the Russian war efforts and maximize disruption for its population to pressure President Vladimir Putin and bring him to negotiating peace talks.