Ukraine attacked an oil depot near a key airport in southern Russia on Wednesday, the Ukrainian military said, the latest attack in a campaign to deepen tensions in the country even though Kyiv’s army lost ground at home in the battle.
The military said it had hit the Kristall gas station in Engels, in the vicinity 300 miles from the border between the two countries. He said the depot supplies fuel to Engels Airport, which he said is one staging in the ground for Russia’s long-term attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, and which hosts some of Russia’s long-range nuclear-capable bombers.
A Russian official wrote on the Telegram messaging app that there had been a “massive” drone attack Target Engels. Roman Busargin, the governor of the Saratov region, said that air defense intercepted the drones but that lost waste hit a “business center” and ignited a fire. No one was hurt, Mr. Busargin wrote.
Kyiv has keep focusing basically, trying to stop the attack on Ukraine’s energy system, which has plunged the city into darknessbattering Ukrainian grid and forcing authorities to scramble for alternative power options.
The latest attack comes as Ukrainian forces are pressing what appears to be a new offensive in the Kursk region in western Russia. The two sides have declared hostilities for the past few days in Kursk, where the Ukrainian army seized about 500 square kilometers of territory in a surprise cross-border attack on the last summer.
Russia has since regained approximately half of the territory it lost. Analysts said the renewed protests appear to be Ukraine’s attempt to regain strength and power ahead of President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration.
Trump has promised to bring the war to a quick end, no matter what. That has led to concerns that his administration will cut off military aid to Ukraine. President Biden did rush to find more help to Kyiv before Mr. Trump was sworn in on January 20.
On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is traveling to Germany for talks on Thursday with a coalition of allies he was convened to discuss Ukraine’s security needs after Russia’s all-out attack in 2022. It will be Mr. Austin’s 25th – and last – meeting with the team, which includes about 50 countries.
The meeting “will focus on the need to increase the capacity of critical assets including anti-aircraft systems, artillery, and military vehicles,” according to the Pentagon.
When asked by reporters on Wednesday whether there were concerns about the future of the merger when Mr. Trump takes office, Pentagon officials said they are confident that European institutions will work – even if the new administration in America reduces its support.
While the scale of the new Kursk offensive remains unclear, military analysts say it could also be an attempt to force Russia to shift troops away from the front lines in the east. Ukraine, where they have been wearing regularly in Kyiv’s defense to seize new land. .
On Monday, Russia’s defense ministry said its military captured Kurakhovestrategic city in eastern Ukraine, after months of heavy fighting.