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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 Ukraine claimed responsibility Tuesday for an overnight drone attack on a Russian oil facility that started a massive blaze in the latest long-range strike by Kyiv\u2019s forces on a border region.<\/p>\n
Ukraine has in recent months stepped up aerial assaults<\/a> on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals in an effort to slow down the Kremlin\u2019s war machine. Moscow\u2019s army is pressing hard along the front line in eastern Ukraine, where a shortage of troops and ammunition in the third year of war has made defenders vulnerable<\/a>.<\/p>\n The attack set fire to an oil reservoir in Russia\u2019s Rostov region and more than 200 firefighters were at the scene, according to Rostov Gov. Vasily Golubev.<\/p>\n The blaze covered an area of 5,000 square meters (55,000 square feet) but there were no casualties, Russia\u2019s Emergencies Ministry said.<\/p>\n A Ukrainian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give the information to the media, said the attack was a special operation of Ukraine\u2019s Security Service, known as SBU. The drones targeted two Rostov oil depots that have 22 oil reservoirs, the official said.<\/p>\n It was not possible to independently confirm the claim.<\/p>\n Kyiv officials normally decline comment about attacks on Russian territory, though they sometimes refer obliquely to them.<\/p>\n Ukrainian drone developers have been extending the weapons\u2019 range<\/a> for months, as Kyiv attempts to compensate for its battlefield disadvantage. The unmanned aerial vehicles are also an affordable option while Ukraine waits for the arrival of more Western military aid.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Follow AP\u2019s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/russia-ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n