A Ukrainian drone strike on Russia’s Tatarstan region has killed at least 13 people and wounded 75 others, in one of the deadliest attacks attributed to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion began more than four years ago.
According to Channels Television, the strike targeted the Taneco oil refinery in Nizhnekamsk, an industrial city located more than 1,000 kilometres from Ukraine. The facility is controlled by Russian oil giant Tatneft.
Tatarstan authorities said 13 people had been killed, while 21 of the 75 injured victims were hospitalised. Russia’s Investigative Committee said a child was among those killed. Citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan were also reportedly among the casualties.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the strike, saying the refinery was targeted as part of efforts to reduce Russia’s military capabilities.
Russia’s Tatarstan region is a major energy-producing area and has increasingly become a target of Ukrainian long-range drone attacks against Russian oil infrastructure.
Deadly strikes exchanged
The attack came as Russia and Ukraine continued a sharp escalation in long-range strikes.
Ukrainian officials said a Russian artillery attack on the village of Bugaivka in the Kharkiv region killed five people and destroyed several homes.
Russia’s Defence Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces intercepted 456 Ukrainian drones overnight, while Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 126 drones during its latest attack.
A woman was also reported killed in a Ukrainian attack in Russia’s Belgorod region, while a man died after a Russian drone struck a taxi in Ukraine’s Kherson region.
The latest attacks have intensified concerns over civilian safety and Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
In Odesa, tens of thousands of households remained without electricity after Russian strikes damaged the power grid over the weekend.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the country has almost no intact thermal power plants following years of Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Kyiv is also facing shortages of missile interceptors as Russia increases its use of ballistic missiles, with apartment buildings in the capital among the targets hit in recent weeks.
