Ukrainian forces on Wednesday attacked an oil depot near a key military airfield in southern Russia, part of a campaign that inflicts pain deep inside the country even as Kiev's forces are losing ground on the country's battlefields. It was announced that.
The military said it attacked the Crystal oil storage facility in Engels, about 300 miles from the border between the two countries. The agency said the depot was supplying fuel to Engels Field. Engels Airfield is said to be a base for Russia's long-term offensive against Ukraine's energy infrastructure and is home to some of Russia's long-range nuclear bombers.
A Russian official wrote on the messaging app Telegram that a “massive” drone attack targeted Engels. Saratov region governor Roman Busargin said air defense forces intercepted the drone, but falling debris hit an “industrial facility” and caused a fire.
About 10 hours later, the flames were still burning and a state of emergency was declared, Busergin said, adding that two firefighters had died battling the blaze.
A video circulated on Telegram and reviewed by The New York Times showed several buildings on fire at the Crystal facility, about eight miles from Engels Field. Other videos reviewed by the Times showed multiple explosions and what appeared to be huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
Kiev has repeatedly targeted airfields in an effort to limit attacks on Ukraine's energy systems, which have plunged the city into darkness, destroyed Ukraine's power grid and left authorities scrambling for alternative power options. It became.
The attack comes as Ukrainian forces carry out what appears to be a new offensive in the Kursk region of western Russia. In Kursk, Ukrainian forces captured about 500 square miles of territory in a surprise cross-border invasion last summer, and heavy fighting has been reported on both sides in recent days.
Russia has since regained about half of the territory it lost. Analysts say the new offensive appears to be an attempt by Ukraine to regain momentum and project power before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office.
Trump vowed to end the war quickly, but did not say how. This has raised concerns that the administration will cut off military aid to Ukraine. The Biden administration is rushing to secure additional aid for Kiev ahead of Trump's swearing-in on January 20.
Two senior U.S. defense officials said the Biden administration announced a “substantial” final aid package for Ukraine on Thursday, while Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was in Germany for talks with the Kyiv Support Coalition. He said he plans to do so.
This will be Austin's 25th and final meeting with the group. The group, which includes around 50 countries, was formed by him to discuss Ukraine's security needs after a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.
The meeting will “focus on the need to ensure the continued delivery of key capabilities such as air defense systems, artillery shells, and armored vehicles,” according to the Pentagon.
Asked on Wednesday whether they were concerned about the future of the coalition after Trump takes office, two senior defense officials told reporters accompanying Austin that European allies are concerned about whether there will be a new alliance or not. He said he is confident that he will continue his efforts regardless of the situation. The US government has reduced its support.
The scale of the new Kursk offensive remains unclear, but military analysts say it is also an attempt to force Russia to divert troops from the front lines in eastern Ukraine, where it has been steadily wearing down Kiev's defenses to seize new ground. suggests that it is possible. .
Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Monday that its forces had captured the strategic town of Krahov in eastern Ukraine after months of intense fighting.
Sanjana Varghese, John Ismay and Natalya Vasilyeva Contributed to the report.
