Ukraine strikes major Russian oil refineries; Putin admits fuel shortages for first time | VIDEO

Kyiv: Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone campaign against Russia, setting fire to a major oil refinery in the country's south, as President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time that Russia was facing fuel shortages caused by repeated attacks on its energy infrastructure.

The overnight strikes targeted the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia's Krasnodar region, east of occupied Crimea. Regional authorities said debris from intercepted Ukrainian drones sparked a fire at the facility, killing one person in Slavyansk-na-Kubani and injuring another in a nearby village.

The refinery processes nearly four million tonnes of crude oil annually and is a key exporter of petroleum products through Russia's Black Sea ports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed another refinery in Russia's Yaroslavl region, around 700 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, was also struck during the attacks.

"Our 'long-range sanctions' reached two oil refineries in Russia," Zelenskyy said on Telegram. "Each strike reduces the resources that fuel the Russian war machine and brings another step towards peace."

Russian authorities did not confirm a strike on the Yaroslavl refinery, although local officials reported temporary road closures due to what they described as a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian military and energy infrastructure in recent months in an effort to disrupt fuel supplies, reduce Moscow's oil revenues and increase domestic pressure on the Kremlin as the war enters its fifth year.

Speaking to Russian state television, Putin admitted the country was experiencing "a certain deficit" of fuel and pledged to increase domestic fuel production, speed up repairs at damaged oil facilities and strengthen protection for critical energy infrastructure.

"We are going through a difficult period," Putin said, while insisting that the attacks had no impact on Russia's military operations.

He accused Ukraine of targeting energy facilities in an attempt to divide Russian society and force Moscow into negotiations on terms favourable to Kyiv.

"We will not give them that chance," he said.

Putin also claimed Ukraine had proposed halting long-range strikes and limiting fighting to the four partially occupied regions that Russia annexed in 2022 — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. He rejected the proposal, arguing it would allow Ukraine to redeploy troops from other parts of the front.

The sustained drone campaign has contributed to fuel shortages across Russia, prompting authorities in several regions to introduce fuel rationing. In Siberia's Irkutsk region, motorists are now limited to purchasing 50 litres of fuel per vehicle each day at state-run Rosneft petrol stations.

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the government was reviewing fuel export agreements to ensure domestic supplies remained sufficient.

Putin also promised to address shortages in occupied Crimea, where fuel deliveries have been disrupted following repeated Ukrainian strikes on supply routes.

The latest exchange of attacks also extended beyond energy infrastructure.

Russia's Defence Ministry said it had shot down 213 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian territory, occupied Crimea, and the Black and Azov seas.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 142 long-range drones and eight missiles overnight. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 125 drones and seven missiles.

Elsewhere, a Russian aerial bomb struck the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, killing two people and injuring 16 others, including two children, according to regional authorities.

In Russia's Belgorod region, officials said Ukrainian drone strikes killed one person and wounded another near the Ukrainian border.