Ukraine drone strike on Russian oil-refining city kills 13

A Ukrainian drone strike on the central Russian region of Tatarstan killed at least 13 people in one of the deadliest attacks carried out by Kyiv since the war began more than four years ago. Kyiv said it had struck an oil refinery in the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk, more than 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) away from the Ukrainian border. Both sides have significantly escalated their long-range attacks this year, causing a spike in civilian deaths, according to the United Nations.

“At this moment, 13 people have been killed” in the attack on Nizhnekamsk, the regional press service said in a statement on Monday. Another 75 people were wounded, 21 of which had been hospitalised, the authorities added. Russia’s Tatarstan region is rich in energy resources and has many major oil refineries that Kyiv has been targeting in retaliatory strikes.

Ukraine’s General Staff said it had struck the Taneko refinery, controlled by oil giant Tatneft, as part of a campaign of “reducing the military potential of the Russian aggressor”. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said a child was among those killed. So too were citizens from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, according to the regional government. Russia also hit Ukraine with deadly strikes on Monday.