Ukrainian strikes hit oil sites in Russia and Crimea

Ukraine struck oil infrastructure in southern Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea overnight, targeting facilities linked to Moscow's energy and military supply chains as Kyiv seeks to increase the economic cost of the war.

The attacks came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed new details about indirect contacts between Kyiv and Moscow, confirming that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich had acted as an intermediary carrying messages between the two sides.

According to Ukraine's General Staff, Ukrainian forces struck the Grushovaya oil transshipment base near the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk in Russia's Krasnodar region. The facility is one of southern Russia's largest hubs for the transfer of oil and petroleum products.

Russian authorities confirmed that a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at the site but said there were no casualties. More than 100 emergency personnel were deployed to contain the blaze.

Ukraine also reported striking the Krasny Yar production and dispatching station in Russia's Volgograd region, where a fire broke out following the attack. Regional governor Andrei Bocharov acknowledged an incident at the site but reported no injuries.

In occupied Crimea, Ukrainian forces said they targeted the Semykolodezkaya oil storage base, which Kyiv claims supplies fuel reserves to the Russian military. Another strike reportedly hit an oil depot near Feodosia.

The attacks appeared to be part of Ukraine's broader strategy of targeting Russian energy infrastructure, logistics networks and fuel supplies that support Moscow's war effort.

The Kremlin acknowledged disruptions to fuel supplies in Crimea. Asked whether Moscow was concerned about a fuel shortage on the peninsula, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said authorities were working to address the situation. "There are indeed certain problems at the moment," Peskov told reporters. "Measures are being taken."

The latest strikes came amid another night of intense drone warfare between the two countries. Russia's defence ministry said it intercepted 310 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions, including the Moscow area, western and southern Russia, occupied Crimea, and over the Black and Azov seas.

Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 155 drones overnight, of which 124 were either shot down or neutralised through electronic warfare systems.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy revealed that Abramovich had served as a conduit for communications between Kyiv and the Kremlin. In an interview with Sky News, the Ukrainian leader said the former Chelsea Football Club owner had travelled to Kyiv carrying a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Zelenskyy, Abramovich conveyed that Moscow wanted to understand Ukraine's position and offered to take a response back to the Russian leader.

Zelenskyy said his message was straightforward: he was willing to meet Putin at any time and at any venue outside Russia and Belarus. He said the meeting could take place bilaterally or include US President Donald Trump and European leaders.

However, he reiterated that Ukraine would not surrender the Donbas region. "It was the key message. I said we will not leave and we will not go out from our territory," Zelenskyy said.

Putin disclosed last week that an unnamed Russian businessman had travelled to Kyiv and met Zelenskyy to discuss the possibility of a personal meeting. The Russian president rejected the proposal, saying he saw no reason for such talks.

Separately, the European Union signalled plans for another round of sanctions against Russia. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said a proposed package would include around 80 new listings targeting Russia's military-industrial sector, individuals accused of human rights abuses and pro-Kremlin propagandists.

Speaking after a meeting of EU defence ministers, Kallas said Western sanctions had already imposed a heavy economic burden on Moscow, estimating their cumulative cost at between USD 1.2 trillion and 1.5 trillion.

The overnight attacks also caused civilian casualties. Regional authorities in Ukraine said Russian drone strikes injured civilians and damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure in the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Chernihiv regions.

Ukraine's emergency services reported that four people were injured after residential buildings were struck in Dnipropetrovsk. In Odesa, three people were wounded when a Russian drone hit a public transport stop.

On the Russian side, the Kremlin-installed administration in Crimea said a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger train travelling from Moscow to Simferopol. Regional leader Sergei Aksyonov said the train driver was injured and the driver's assistant was killed.

Passenger services across Crimea were temporarily suspended following the attack, with travellers evacuated and replacement bus services arranged.

With PTI inputs