Russian Strikes Paralyze Kyiv as Ukraine Targets Oil Sites

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukraine’s allies to strengthen sanctions against Russia after overnight drone strikes disrupted traffic in Kyiv and hit locations across the country. Several major routes across the Dnipro River were closed, including the Southern Bridge and Paton Bridge in both directions and the Metro Bridge toward Kyiv’s right bank. Zelenskyy said Iranian-type Shahed drones struck the Southern Bridge several times. Russia launched more than 100 drones, and one person was killed. Zelenskyy argued that Russia’s drone and missile production still depends on foreign components, despite Moscow’s efforts to manufacture weapons domestically. He said supply chains run through companies in Europe, the United States, China and Japan, and called for political action to stop those components from reaching Russia. His appeal followed recent statements by EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas about proposals to tighten sanctions enforcement, as well as US President Donald Trump’s signing of a broad Russian sanctions package targeting Putin, financial institutions, and the energy and defence sectors. The attacks also struck a kindergarten in Kherson, a grocery store in Kharkiv, and apartment buildings in Kramatorsk and Sumy. The Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Poltava and Rivne regions were reported under attack, with at least four people wounded. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces hit a Kyiv bridge, a regional power station, the Izmail port and a cargo vessel, claiming the sites served Ukrainian military purposes. Ukraine also reported overnight attacks inside Russia. Its military said it struck a Lukoil facility in Volgograd and an oil dispatch station in the Samara region, where fires broke out, and carried out missions against other sites, including airfields and industrial facilities. Authorities in the Black Sea port of Tuapse said drone debris damaged an enterprise, without providing further details.

Russian drone attacks damaged bridges in Kyiv and killed one person, according to Ukrainian authorities, prompting closures that disrupted traffic between the city’s western and eastern banks of the Dnipro River. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Southern Bridge, also known as the Pivdennyi Bridge, was completely closed. The structure carries road traffic and a metro line and had been hit twice in two days. The Paton Bridge was also closed to traffic heading toward the river’s left bank. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its drones had targeted a Dnipro bridge used for military purposes. The attacks also hit a 25-story building in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, killing one person and injuring at least two others. Russia additionally reported strikes on a power station in the Kyiv region, the Port of Izmail near the Black Sea, and a cargo vessel. The article notes that Russia has repeatedly attacked Kyiv with overnight drones since its full-scale invasion began in February 2022, while Ukraine has been developing interceptor technology to counter them. The article also reports Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian infrastructure. Officials in the Volgograd region said industrial infrastructure was targeted and an apartment building was damaged, wounding one person. Authorities in Krasnodar said drone debris damaged an enterprise in Tuapse. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had carried out operations against oil facilities in the Samara and Volgograd regions, as well as targets including airfields, industrial sites, refineries, a missile and space center, and an ammunition depot across several Russian regions. Ukraine has targeted Russian oil refineries over the past year in an effort to weaken the country’s energy industry. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine’s strikes had cost Russia 1% of its GDP.

Russian air strikes hit Kyiv’s Southern Bridge again on Friday, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who reported the attack on Telegram. The bridge had also been struck on Thursday, when Russian drones hit a school and the bridge, causing fires in the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv authorities closed traffic in both directions on the Southern Bridge and Paton Bridge and redirected vehicles to alternative routes. Klitschko also reported a fire on the upper floors of an apartment building and damage elsewhere in the city. The article describes the attacks as part of Moscow’s nearly daily, around-the-clock strikes on Ukraine. It also reports Ukrainian drone attacks on industrial facilities in the Russian city of Volgograd, which is home to a large oil refinery. A fire broke out, and one person was injured after a drone struck an apartment building, according to the regional governor. The report links Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries to economic and public effects. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes had cost Russia 1% of its gross domestic product. Damage to refineries has also contributed to long lines of people seeking to refill their car tanks. The article presents these developments as reciprocal attacks affecting infrastructure, civilian areas, transport, and fuel supplies, while attributing claims to Ukrainian officials, a Russian governor, and Putin.