Ukrainian drone forces struck two major Russian oil refineries -- Krasnodar in southern Russia and Syzran in the Samara region -- overnight on August 30, igniting fires and causing explosions in facilities key to supplying fuel for Russian military units.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, the operations, carried out in coordination with Special Operations Forces, aimed to reduce Russia’s offensive potential and complicate fuel supplies to its troops.
The Krasnodar refinery produces around 3 million tons of gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel annually, while the Syzran plant can process up to 8.5 million tons each year. Damage assessments were ongoing, and no casualties were reported.
Many Russian regions have already been suffering from gasoline shortages as Ukrainian drones target oil infrastructure, with long lines being reported at some gas stations.
Russia on August 27 suspended all exports of gasoline until September 30 in an effort to ease the crisis, with hopes that demand will then subside and summer repairs to refiners have been completed.
Meanwhile, Russian forces launched one of the largest aerial offensives in weeks, firing 537 drones and 45 missiles at targets across Ukraine.
The Ukrainian air force said it successfully intercepted 510 drones and 38 missiles, though five missiles and 24 drones struck seven locations. Falling debris was recorded at 21 sites.
In Zaporizhzhya, Russian strikes killed one person and wounded 22, including three children. Residential areas, apartment blocks, and industrial sites were damaged, with multiple fires reported at the impact zones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of using diplomatic delays to intensify attacks and urged stronger sanctions against Russia’s banking and energy sectors. No new date has been set for further talks between the two governments.
Ukraine has accepted a US cease-fire proposal and calls for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy but Moscow has not agreed.
"The only way to reopen a window of opportunity for diplomacy is through tough measures against all those bankrolling the Russian Army and effective sanctions against Moscow itself -- banking and energy sanctions," Zelenskyy wrote on X on August 30.
A day earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow’s stance that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not dismissed the possibility of meeting with Zelenskyy but emphasized that such a meeting would only occur once progress is achieved “at the expert level.”
Meanwhile, the United States approved an $8.5-billion deal to sell Patriot air-defense systems to Denmark, which plans to forward the systems to Ukraine to reinforce its air defenses. Other NATO countries are making similar arrangements, responding to increased threats as US funding for weapon transfers remains uncertain.
