Deadly Strikes As Ukraine Hits Russia’s Largest Oil Refinery and Trump Signals Patriot Shift

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

KYIV/MOSCOW/ANKARA (Worthy News) – At least three people were killed and dozens more injured Wednesday as Russia and Ukraine exchanged fresh long-range attacks, while Kyiv struck deep inside Russia, forcing the shutdown of the country’s largest oil refinery and raising fresh concerns about the Kremlin’s fuel supplies.

Russian attacks killed a 38-year-old woman and her 15-year-old daughter in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, Governor Vitaliy Kim said. Elsewhere, Russian strikes wounded people in Kyiv, where ballistic missiles sparked fires, as well as in the regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

On the Russian side, officials said one person was killed in the Saratov region during a Ukrainian drone attack. Fires also broke out at oil refineries in Saratov and Nizhnekamsk, while authorities reported a blaze at a military airfield in the Voronezh region.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted 415 Ukrainian drones overnight, though the claim could not be independently verified.

However, the reported scale of the barrage suggested one of Ukraine’s largest drone offensives since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

UKRAINE STRIKES RUSSIA’S ENERGY SECTOR

The attacks came after Ukraine launched one of its deepest drone operations of the war, striking Russia’s largest oil refinery in Omsk, nearly 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) from Ukrainian territory.

Industry sources said the refinery, owned by Gazprom Neft, halted operations after facilities were damaged in Monday’s strike. The Omsk refinery processed about 22 million metric tons of crude oil last year—roughly 440,000 barrels per day—and produced some 5 million metric tons of gasoline and 8 million metric tons of diesel, making it one of Russia’s most important fuel production facilities.

Analysts said the shutdown could exacerbate fuel shortages already reported in parts of Russia as Ukraine increasingly targets energy infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war effort.

Ukraine also said its drone forces struck nine more tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the Sea of Azov overnight after attacking eight vessels the previous night.

Colonel Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, said the campaign aims to reduce Russian oil revenues used to finance the Kremlin’s war. Russia confirmed that at least two ships sustained damage, though officials said they were empty and no oil leaked into the sea. Two crew members were reportedly injured.

TRUMP SIGNALS PATRIOT SUPPORT

The battlefield developments coincided with the NATO summit in Ankara, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky again appealed for more Patriot air-defense systems to protect Ukrainian cities from intensifying Russian missile and drone attacks.

President Donald J. Trump indicated the United States is considering allowing Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles domestically under American supervision, potentially reducing Kyiv’s dependence on limited Western supplies.

“We’re going to show them how it’s done,” Trump said after meeting Zelensky. “It’s a complex process, but they’ll learn.”

The remarks suggested a further shift in U.S. support for strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses.

Some commentators said Trump’s latest comments reflected a growing recognition in Washington of Ukraine’s resilience and its increasing ability to strike strategic military and energy targets far inside Russia.

EU BACKS UKRAINE’S BID

Separately Wednesday, the European Parliament voted 460-136 to continue Ukraine’s European Union accession negotiations, praising Kyiv for implementing reforms despite the war while urging continued efforts to strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption.

Lawmakers also warned that Russia continues trying to undermine public support for Ukraine’s eventual EU membership through disinformation and political interference.

In a separate vote, the European Parliament overwhelmingly backed continuing accession talks with neighboring Moldova, while warning of persistent Russian attempts to influence the country’s democratic institutions and democratic processes.

The votes did little to alter the course of a war that has shown few signs of easing more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Both sides continue to intensify long-range strikes as Ukraine’s Western allies debate how best to support Kyiv militarily, economically, and politically, while hopes for a negotiated peace remain elusive.

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