Ukraine Claims Strike on 2nd Refinery  05/21 06:20

   Ukrainian drones smashed into another Russian refinery overnight, starting a 
fire that produced huge clouds of black smoke, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 
said Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest long-range attack on Moscow's 
vital oil industry.

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian drones smashed into another Russian refinery 
overnight, starting a fire that produced huge clouds of black smoke, President 
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest long-range 
attack on Moscow's vital oil industry.

   The drones targeted the Syzran oil refinery, located more than 800 
kilometers (500 miles) inside Russia, Zelenskyy said on social media, where he 
posted a video of the aftermath.

   It was not possible to verify the video or independently confirm the attack. 
The governor of Russia's Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said that two 
people were killed by Ukrainian drones in Syzran but he didn't mention the 
refinery. Russia's Astra news outlet said that Ukrainian drones struck the 
Syzran refinery owned by oil and gas giant Rosneft.

   Ukraine has expanded its mid- and long-range strike capabilities, deploying 
eye-catching drone and missile technology that it has developed domestically as 
it battles to defeat Russia's 4-year-old invasion. Ukrainian weaponry and 
expertise are now sought by other countries, whereas earlier in the war Kyiv 
had to plead for massive foreign military aid.

   Ukrainian drones hit another refinery the previous day, Zelenskyy said, as 
attacks on Russian oil assets that play a key part in funding the invasion have 
become almost daily occurrences.

   "Overall, our long-range plan for May is being carried out largely in full," 
Zelenskyy said in a social media post late Wednesday. "The key targets are 
Russian oil refineries, storage facilities, and other infrastructure tied to 
these oil revenues."

   The escalating attacks have hurt Moscow's revenue at the same time as it 
feels the economic pinch of international sanctions. With some attacks reaching 
more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) into Russian soil, the strikes have 
contributed to some Russians feeling unsafe due to the war and heaped pressure 
on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

   Ukraine reportedly makes battlefield gains

   Ukraine's new reach has also helped it push Russian troops back along parts 
of the front line, with Ukrainian forces making their most significant 
battlefield gains since 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

   "Ukraine's intensified midrange strike campaign against Russian logistics, 
military equipment, and manpower since early 2026 has also degraded Russian 
forces' ability to conduct offensive operations across the theater and has also 
likely supported recent Ukrainian advances," the Washington-based think tank 
said in an assessment late Wednesday.

   Ukraine has slowed Russia's battlefield advance and is gradually regaining 
the initiative along the front line, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said, 
partly due to Russian forces being denied access to Starlink satellite services 
to steer its drones toward targets.

   "Russia has since not been able to find a full replacement (for Starlink), 
giving Ukraine a critical battlefield advantage," Fedorov told reporters. He 
spoke on Saturday but his comments were embargoed till Thursday.

   Fedorov said in February he had asked Elon Musk's SpaceX to help deny Russia 
use of the service in Ukraine. Starlink is a global internet network that 
relies on around 10,000 satellites orbiting Earth.

   Fedorov said that mid-size drones have become a key technological advantage 
for Ukraine on the front line and claimed that Ukrainian forces have doubled 
their interception rate of Russian drones over the past four months.

   Ukraine is also preparing changes to the military, covering pay and contract 
terms, he said.

   Drone attacks claim victims in Ukraine and Russia

   Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 121 Ukrainian drones 
between late Wednesday and early Thursday.

   In the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, eight people were injured by 
Ukrainian drones, according to the regional governor, Alexander Shuvayev.

   Russia has also invested heavily in drones, using them to bombard civilian 
areas of Ukraine throughout the war and killing more than 15,000 civilians, 
according to the United Nations.

   Ukraine's air force said Thursday it shot down 109 out of 116 drones that 
Russia launched overnight.

   One civilian was killed and at least six others were wounded in the strikes 
in the north, south and east of the country, emergency services said.