Russia and Ukraine Trade Drone Strikes on Energy Facilities

• Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones, targeting energy infrastructure and causing increased power outages in several regions.
• Ukrainian drones struck deep inside Russia, setting oil installations on fire in the Tambov and Adygea regions.
• The attacks have intensified the conflict, with significant damage to energy facilities on both sides and civilian casualties reported.

Russia attacked Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight, damaging energy infrastructure and prompting even more power blackouts, while Ukrainian drones reportedly struck deep inside Russian territory, setting oil installations on fire in two regions.

Ukraine's national power company, Ukrenerho, said early on June 20 that four regions were targeted in the latest wave of Russian drone and missile attacks.

"Equipment was damaged at energy facilities in the Vinnytsya, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kyiv regions," Ukrenerho said in a message on Telegram.

A thermal power plant sustained "serious damage" in the Russian strikes, according to Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK."This is already the seventh mass attack on the company's thermal power plant in the last three months," DTEK said on Telegram, without disclosing the location of the facility. It said three workers were injured in the attack.

The latest wave of Russian strikes has also increased the number of scheduled power outages for domestic consumers, Ukrenerho said, adding, however, that electricity supply for critical infrastructure will not be restricted.

Separately, the air force reported that Russia attacked Ukraine with nine missiles and 27 drones. Ukrainian air defenses shot down all the drones and five missiles, the military said.

Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure, causing enormous damage and limiting electricity supply for the civilian population, prompting regular blackouts.

In return, Ukrainian drones have struck deeper inside Russia, damaging energy facilities critical for Moscow's military effort, mainly oil installations.

On June 20, drones belonging to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) struck a fuel and lubricants warehouse in Russia's Tambov region, some 400 kilometers southeast of Moscow, and a LUKoil oil depot in the North Caucasus region of Adygea, setting both on fire, a Ukrainian security source told RFE/RL.

The Baza channel, which is linked to Russian security services, confirmed that a fire had broken out at the Platonov oil depot in Tambov.

Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Russian region of Krasnodar, said a private house was completely destroyed, and a local resident was killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Slavyansk-on-Kuban.

The SBU told RFE/RL that its drones had carried out almost three dozen successful attacks on Russian oil facilities in various regions since the start of the war.

None of the claims could be independently confirmed.

By RFE/RL 

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

• Record July 4th Travel Could Boost Oil Demand and Prices
• Global Emissions Climb to New Record High
• U.S. Oil, Gas Drilling Activity Sees Further Declines