“Russian Oil Refinery was hit by Drone Attack”
Who Controls What in Ukraine?
Russia has replaced the commander of the Russian Airborne Forces and has likely fired the Southern Military District commander and appointed a new overall commander of Russian forces, indicating a possible purge of senior officers blamed for failures in Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War says. Russia is likely preparing to deploy a large number of reserves to the front lines of Donbas, as heavy shelling continues around the Severodonetsk area, the UK defense ministry says. At least 15 civilians were killed in the Kharkiv region on Tuesday, including five in the city of Kharkiv. Russian Oil Refinery was hit by Drone Attack.
UNHCR:
According to UNHCR, more than 7.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded. Many have sought refuge in neighboring states. The latest – and still growing – count had 4,001,921 people entering Poland, 659,009 Romania, 1,230,800 Russia, 782,742 Hungary, 502,716 Moldova, 510,014 Slovakia, and 16,655 entering Belarus.
Thousands of people have taken to public squares and Russian embassies across the globe to protest against the invasion. OVD-Info, which has documented crackdowns on Russia’s opposition for years, says more than 5,000 demonstrators have been arrested across Russia since Putin launched the war on Ukraine.
Read More: https://youthdiplomacyforum.com/2022/06/21/russia-ramps-up-luhansk-attacks/
Protests have occurred in at least 50 Russian cities, including Chelyabinsk, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Perm, Saint Petersburg, Samara, and Yekaterinburg. After months of tensions and intense diplomacy, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Explosions were heard across the country. Kyiv declared martial law, saying Ukraine would defend itself.
Drone Attack:
A drone attack has hit a major Russian oil refinery near the border with Ukraine, the plant’s management said, sending a ball of flame and black smoke billowing into the sky and prompting the suspension of operations. Officials at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region said the first drone attacked at 8:40 am (05:40GMT), hitting a crude distillation unit, triggering a blast and ball of fire.
Russian regions bordering Ukraine have reported attacks and shelling after Moscow sent its troops into its neighbor on February 24 for what it still calls a “special military operation”.
The refinery is in southwestern Russia, just 8km (5 miles) from the border with Ukraine. “As a result of terrorist actions from the Western border of the Rostov region, two unmanned aerial vehicles struck at the technological facilities of Novoshakhtinsk,” a statement from the plant said.
The refinery, which started operations in 2009, has an annual capacity of up to 7.5 million tonnes. Russia’s energy ministry said the fire had not affected gasoline and diesel supplies to consumers in southern Russia.
Wednesday’s alleged attack on the refinery follows a series of explosions and fires in western Russia amid Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Russia is investigating the cause of a large fire that erupted at an oil storage facility in the city of Bryansk, 154km (96 miles) northeast of the border with Ukraine, in late April.
Several other explosions and fires hit refineries, oil depots, and an ammunition storage facility. Ukraine has not officially taken responsibility for the incidents. Some Ukrainian media have claimed they are a result of Ukrainian attacks.
Source: Al Jazeera
