Fresh drone strikes by Ukrainian forces have rocked Russian regions, leaving two people dead and igniting a fire at an oil refinery, as tensions escalate along the war-torn border.
According to the French news agency AFP, two civilians, a man and a woman, were killed in a drone strike on the Russian city of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, on Saturday.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region, announced the casualties on his Telegram channel.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its air defenses intercepted three drones and a tactical ballistic missile of the “Tochka-U” type over the Belgorod region and five drones over the Kursk region.
In a separate statement, the Russian military claimed to have repelled infiltration attempts by Ukrainian armed groups in the Belgorod border region. These incidents have become increasingly common in recent months, with the Kremlin viewing them as attempts to disrupt the ongoing presidential election.
Meanwhile, in the Samara region, Ukrainian drone strikes targeted two oil refineries owned by the state-owned Rosneft company. The attack caused a fire at one facility, but no casualties were reported.
Dmitry Azarov, the governor of the Samara region, stated that a fire broke out at the Syzran refinery on the Volga River, while an attack on the Novokubyshevsk refinery was thwarted.
Footage circulating online, albeit unverified, showed what appeared to be a large fire at the Syzran refinery, with emergency services responding to the scene.
Ukraine has intensified its attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure in recent weeks, striking refineries across the European part of the country.
The Russian presidential election began on Friday and will continue until Sunday. President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of attempting to sabotage the election, which he is widely expected to win.
