Russia burns as Ukraine hits major oil refinery and missile ship in lethal double strike

Ukraine's army launched devastating attacks on Vladimir Putin's war machine, targeting Russia's energy infrastructure and its navy. Over the summer, Ukraine has remorselessly bombed oil refineries across Russia, in a bid to disrupt fuel supplies to Putin's army and hit energy exports that help finance the war.

The unrelenting campaign has produced spectacular results, leading to a huge shortage of petrol and diesel in the country. Nearly 40% of Russia's refinery capacities have stopped working, with analysts estimating that about 70% of the downtime is directly linked to Ukrainian drone attacks. In another carefully crafted operation, Ukraine drones struck the Kirshi oil refinery in Russia's Leningrad region overnight on October 4.

A major fire broke out following the strike, with video images showing thick plumes of black smoke rising from the site and an orange ball of flames lighting up the night's sky.

The attack was later confirmed by Ukraine General Staff, who noted that the refinery can process up to 18.4 million tonnes of oil a year.

The refinery is situated 800 kilometres (500 miles) from Ukraine's border, and is one of Russia's largest. It opened in 2017 and accounts for 6.6% of Russia's total oil refining volumes. The refinery has been hit at least three times - in September and March this year and in March 2024.

Ukraine's Special Operations Forces also carried out a daring attack on a Russian missile ship. The Project 21631 Buyan-M was hit near Lake Ladoga in Karelia, en route to the Caspian Sea from the Baltic Sea.

The ship can carry both Kalibr and Onyx missiles, which have been regularly deployed against Ukraine.

The SOF said in a statement: "The missile carrier was leaving the Baltic Sea for the Caspian Sea.

"The strike occurred on the starboard side of the ship's propulsion system."

They added that the extent of the damage was still being clarified by its specialists. SOF described the ship as one of the newest in the Russian Navy, saying its primary weapon is the Kalibr-NK missile system.

The missile carrier was commissioned into the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy on December 29, 2022.