Ukraine kills 13, including child, in drone attack on Russian city

At least 13 individuals, including a child, perished and 39 were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on Nizhnekamsk, a city in Russia's Tatarstan region, according to authorities on Monday. This incident ranks among the deadliest civilian casualties in Russia over the past months. The Ukrainian military claimed responsibility, stating that the attack targeted Tatneft's TANECO oil refinery and caused a fire at the facility.

Russian investigators have launched a criminal inquiry, branding the assault as a terrorist act and citing the loss of civilian lives. The regional leader of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, declared a day of mourning, while Nizhnekamsk's mayor, Radmir Belyayev, announced the tragedy on Telegram.

Visual evidence of the attack emerged in verified video footage by Reuters on social media platforms, depicting smoke billowing from the oil refinery. The TANECO refinery, which also faced Ukrainian strikes in early June, handles an annual output of 17 million tons of crude oil, yielding 2.7 million tons of gasoline and 8.5 million tons of diesel fuel.

Ukraine has intensified its assaults on Russian oil refineries recently, aiming to inflict economic hardship on Russia through fuel scarcity. However, officials assert that most of the initial fuel crises have since been alleviated.

Ukraine argues that its objective is to make the consequences of Russia's war felt by ordinary Russians. In contrast, Moscow has resorted to importing fuel from abroad to maintain supply levels. On Sunday, both parties pointed fingers at each other, with Russia's Belgorod reporting five fatalities and 25 injuries following a Ukrainian drone assault in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has consistently maintained that neither side targets civilians.