Ukraine Hits 2 Russian Oil Refineries as Moscow Launches Attacks Across Ukraine

Ukraine hit two oil refineries in Russia overnight on June 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Kyiv continues its drone strikes against Moscow’s energy sector.Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Sunday that Ukraine struck the Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, around 190 miles from the frontline, and another refinery in the Yaroslavl region, approximately 430 miles from Ukraine’s border.“We continue our operations that weaken Russia’s ability to wage this war,” Zelenskyy said. “Each of our long-range sanctions means fewer resources serving Russia’s war machine, and another step toward peace. We will continue to respond to Russian terror.”In a statement on Telegram on Sunday, Krasnodar’s governor, Veniamin Kondratiev, confirmed that a drone attack had been conducted on the region.Kondratiev said that a fire broke out at the oil refinery and that a power line and gas pipeline were damaged.He said that several houses were damaged in Slavyansk-on-Kuban by drone debris, and one person was killed. Drone debris also fell in the village of Trudobelikovsky, and several homes were damaged, with one person injured.The Slavyansk refinery has a capacity of ​about 100,000 barrels per day and supplies ​fuel for ⁠domestic use and export.Yaroslavl’s governor also confirmed that the region had come under drone attack and ⁠that ​temporary limits had been placed on some road routes to Moscow.Temporary Bans on Fuel ExportsUkraine has been striking Russian supply routes, depots, and refineries in recent months, causing gas prices to go up and shortages in some regions, particularly Crimea.Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 28 said that fuel companies are working to ensure that the impact of the disruption to fuel supplies on businesses and motorists is minimal.“Jointly with oil companies, additional proposals regarding fuel supplies to the domestic market have been prepared,” Putin told a meeting of senior officials, according to state-run news agency TASS.Putin said that Russian gasoline reserves stand at 1.7 million metric tons— “down a mere 4 percent from the same period last year.” “I would like to reiterate that the impact from terrorist attacks on our civilian facilities and infrastructure should be minimized,” he said.Russia has introduced a temporary ban on exporting gasoline and jet fuel, with Putin saying that a full ban on diesel exports was also being considered.5 Die in Russian StrikesRussian attacks on Ukraine on Sunday were responsible for the deaths of five people across the country, officials said.Two people died, and 16 were injured following strikes on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.In the northeastern border region ​of Kharkiv, a frequent target for Moscow, a missile strike on the town of Zmiiv killed one person ​and injured eight, including two children. One police officer was killed in the Kharkiv region as he was trying to evacuate residents.Strikes in the Sumy ​region resulted in the death of an elderly woman.Moscow and Kyiv both say they do not deliberately target civilians.Moscow Aims to Seize 4 RegionsPutin said on June 28 that Moscow was not interested in negotiations with Zelenskyy and was intent on completing its war aims and seizing four Ukrainian regions.Zelenskyy had published an open letter to Putin on June 4, proposing a face-to-face meeting with the Russian president and calling for a “full ceasefire for the duration of the negotiations.”The Russian president has previously said that Russia wants to take permanent ownership of four regions, or oblasts, in southern and eastern Ukraine—Luhansk and Donetsk (which together are known as the Donbas) and Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.Russia formally annexed all four regions in October 2022, but in late June 2026, it still does not control their whole territory militarily.Reuters and Chris Summers contributed to this report.