Russian border provinces reported that Ukraine had deployed UAVs to attack energy infrastructure, causing a large fire at an oil refinery. This was part of a series of overnight attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian air defense successfully intercepted and destroyed eight Ukrainian UAVs in different provinces. Witness reports and videos showed a large fire at an oil refinery in Smolensk province as a result of the attacks.
Vasily Anokhin, governor of Smolensk province, confirmed that Ukrainian UAVs targeted the area but did not specify the number. The attacks caused fires at energy facilities in Smolensk and Yartsevsky districts, but thankfully, there were no injuries or fatalities. Governors in other provinces, such as Voronezh and Lipetsk Oblast, also reported incidents involving Ukrainian UAVs. Ukraine has been increasing its deployment of large-scale UAV attacks against Russian energy infrastructure. Recent attacks on Moscow’s territory have caused explosions and civilian casualties.
Western experts believe that these attacks are aimed at Moscow’s economic lifeline, leaving Russia vulnerable in the event of a conflict. Ukraine’s UAV attacks are becoming more sophisticated, with a recent deep attack on a UAV factory in Tatarstan. Some reports suggest that Ukrainian forces have equipped the drones with artificial intelligence technology to overcome electronic jamming. As tensions continue to rise between Russia and Ukraine, it is likely that we will see more aggressive tactics being used by both sides to disrupt each other’s operations and gain an advantage on the battlefield.