Major oil refinery, airbase targeted by Ukrainian forces in reported strikes across Russia

Ukrainian forces launched reported strikes on a major oil refinery and an airbase in Russia on August 30, 2023, according to monitoring channels. The Kirishi Petroleum Organic Synthesis plant, one of Russia's largest oil refineries, was set ablaze after being targeted by Ukrainian forces in Leningrad Oblast. The incident, which resulted in a fire, involved 42 drones being shot down over the region.

Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko confirmed the incident. Additionally, an airbase in Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai, was hit, with eyewitnesses reporting a series of strong explosions. The extent of the damage to the airbase remains unverified. Ukraine's strategy involves striking military infrastructure deep within Russia and occupied territories to weaken Moscow's capacity to continue its war efforts.

The previous night, on August 29, Ukrainian forces targeted a Rostov-on-Don warehouse belonging to the Russian e-commerce giant Ozon, and they also struck several military facilities in occupied Ukrainian territories, including those in the occupied city of Donetsk and the village of Hvardiiske near Simferopol in Crimea.